WorldWide Drilling Resource

42 MAY 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® College Students by Peter Tavino Litchfield Geothermal For the first time in the industry, a state geothermal association held a suc- cessful dinner meeting with a university student engineering chapter. Thriving state and regional ground source heat pump organizations like our Connecticut Geothermal Association are working hard to promote geothermal at the grassroots level. In March, the University of Hartford hosted our heating contractor and well drilling members at a great dinner at their conference center. We enjoyed beer, wine, and soft drinks before the dozen of us professionals sat at tables with about 20 students and their professor, who directs the college's Clean Energy Institute. After dinner, our president conduct- ed a 15-minute business meeting to ac- quaint students with our ongoing exhibits, conferences, and activities. I then moder- ated a question and answer session. Each attendee introduced themselves, and summer internships were discussed. Drilling contractors from different com- panies described thermal conductivities of soil versus rock, and benefits of grout- ing. Students were interested in larger- scale commercial geothermal projects; and we pledged to plan a field trip to a drilling and grouting operation, and to see heat pump manifolds and pump stations. Contractors asked students if they were familiar with building heat loss calculations used to size heat pump and borehole depths, and the young people expressed interest in the soft- ware programs. The coeds were delighted to hear from one of their own as Janice from Blake Equipment described the latest equipment features and conver- sions from open- to closed-loop systems. The college had researched direct ex- pansion refrigerant in the ground through a grant, and its challenges versus high- density polyethylene pipe was another lively topic. Students asked why electric companies and state agencies do not better promote geothermal, and we noted there is now greater emphasis on state- backed financing programs for middle income homeowners. The program ran slightly over time because of the interest, and the stu- dents continued to mingle and ask the drilling and heating contractors about geothermal, until finally they had to get back to their dorms for homework. The Connecticut Geothermal Association appreciated the planning by the student officers, and hopes this is the start of similar meetings here and in other states in the future. The statements and comments in this article are based on information and references believed to be true and factual. If you have any questions or comments, please forward them to me in care of WWDR . Pete Peter Tavino may be contacted via e-mail at michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Early Stage Geothermal Support for Turkey Adapted from Information by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) is considering investing $125 million in early stage geothermal development in Turkey. The project will provide loans to support this effort. Developers seeking to advance geo- thermal resources in the country, includ- ing the exploration and production drilling phases, will find this helpful in minimizing the financial risks. Turkey’s geothermal potential is esti- mated to be around 4 gigawatts, and so far, only around 300 megawatts has been developed. As with most geothermal power projects, one of the biggest hur- dles is the initial investment costs; more specifically, the cost of exploration and production drilling which can account for as much as 40% of the total project costs. The project is also expected to in- crease the area’s geothermal knowledge, which is perceived as a key barrier by local financial institutions. Training and developing the expertise in the local mar- ket and allowing the implementation of best business conduct and corporate gov- ernance is an important goal of the project. The funds will be used to support: b Pipeline preparation. b A risk mitigation analysis includ- ing early stage exploration best prac- tices program. b The overall drilling campaign to review well designs, maximize drilling success rates, and implement drilling best practices. b Plant construction which will con- sider the construction and opera- tional risks of the plant and provide mitigants for those risks; evaluating the project’s expansion capacity and the ability to replicate the plant. b Environmental support. b Project development support. The EBRD is also considering pro- viding a senior loan in the amount of $150 million to Gurmat Elektrik UretimA.S. for the development of a 123.3-megawatt geothermal power plant in the Aydin- Germencik province of Turkey. Gurmat Elektrik is no stranger to geo- thermal power production in Turkey. The company was established in 1999 to con- struct and operate a set of geothermal power plants in the Germenicik geother- mal field in Western Anatolia. The first plant has been in operation since 2009 and produces 47.4 megawatts of geo- thermal energy. The new geothermal project, esti- mated to cost roughly $97 million, is ex- pected to produce over 120 megawatts of clean, geothermal power using four generating units. Photo of the Germencik geothermal power plant in Turkey courtesy of www.gurisholding.com