WorldWide Drilling Resource

17 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® NOVEMBER 2015 Geothermal Drilling Continues in Guatemala Adapted from a Press Release by U.S. Geothermal, Inc. U.S. Geothermal, Inc. announced its subsidiary, U.S. Geothermal Guatemala, S.A., received final notification for a modified schedule for the El Ceibillo project, located near Guatemala City. Approved by the Minister of Energy and Mines, the new modified schedule has the commercial operation date for the first phase of the project occurring during the second quarter of 2018. Preparations are underway to restart the drilling program by drilling well EC-2 which has a planned depth of 1968 feet. EC-2 will test a high-temperature anomaly identified by a 2014 temperature gradient drilling program. Drilling was suspended after well EC-1 was drilled in June of 2013, until the project schedule for the concession could be modified. “We are excited to receive approval of our modified schedule for El Ceibillo and to restart our drilling program,” said Doug Glaspey, president and chief operating officer. “The schedule modification was initially requested in late 2013. While it has taken extra time for the Ministry to develop new protocols for handling changes in private geothermal concessions, we are pleased to have now re- ceived the necessary approval. We remain optimistic in Guatemala’s need for clean, domestic power generation, and believe it has an abundance of geothermal resources that can be developed under the right conditions. We wish to thank the new Minister of Energy and Mines for his help in this process and for the Ministry’s continued support for our project.” The El Ceibillo geothermal project area has nine existing geothermal wells which were drilled in the 1990s with depths from 560-2000 feet. Six of the wells have reservoir temperatures between 365-400°F (185-205ºC) and have high conductive gradients which are an indication of rapidly increasing temperature with depth. Fluid samples and mineralization from the wells indicate the existence of a high-permeability reservoir below the existing well field. Plans include development of a 25-megawatt, flash steam power plant, but the final size of the facility will be determined after drilling and resource delineation has progressed. Island Drilling core rig at EC-2 well. /*. 42 '/1 3)& ..4", ! /.'&1&.$& ".% 1"%& )/5 -#"227 4*3&2 /1-". /3&, /.'&1&.$& &.3&1 /.'&1&.$& &.3&1 1 /1-". &3 1&"%7 '/1 8 1&"3 6)*#*32 8 /.3*.4*.( %4$"3*/. 00/134.*3*&2 8 1&"3 *-& 3/ *2*3 5*3) 1*&.%2 ".4"17 / 1&(*23&1 $",, /2) $ ,*.3/$+ /1 (/ /.,*.& 555 /+(1/4.%5"3&1 /1(