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The Race to Become an EGS Field Laboratory is on! Adapted from Information by the U.S. Energy Department Recently, the U.S. Energy Department announced five proj- ects have been selected to receive a total of $2 million for the first phase of a Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) effort. This field laboratory will be dedicated to cutting-edge research on enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). FORGE's mission is to enable innovative research, as well as drilling and technology test- ing. These systems are engineered geothermal reservoirs, creat- ed beneath the surface of the earth, where there is hot rock but limited pathways for fluid to flow. During EGS development, under- ground fluid pathways are safely created and their size and connectivity increased. These pathways allow fluid to circulate throughout the hot rock and carry heat to the surface to generate electricity. The FORGE initiative consists of three phases. In Phase 1, the teams will spend a year completing mission-critical techni- cal and logistical tasks demonstrating site viability and show the team’s capability of meeting FORGE objectives and develop- ing plans for Phase 2. Phase 1 tasks will include conceptual geologic modeling and the creation of comprehensive plans for data dissemination, intellectual property, environmental, health and safety information, communications and outreach, stakeholder engagement, research and development (R&D) implementation, and environmental management. Phase 2, which will begin next year, will provide up to $29 million in funding for up to three teams. They will work to fully instru- ment, characterize, and permit the sites for full-scale operations at FORGE in the third and final phase. Subject to the availability of appropriations, Phase 3 is anticipated to fund the full implementation of FORGE at a single site, managed by one operations team. In this phase, partners from the industry, academia, and the national laboratories will have ongoing opportunities to conduct new and innovative R&D at the site in critical research areas. The initial five FORGE Teams include: Idaho National Laboratory in Snake River Plain, Idaho. This field site is located along the Yellowstone Hotspot, an area with potentially high subsurface temperature and mechanical rock characteristics favorable for EGS reservoir stimulation. The Snake River Geothermal Consortium will begin planning, modeling, and public engagement to adapt existing technologies to geothermal systems, helping to advance geothermal energy as a source of renewable baseload power. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at the Newberry Volcano in Oregon . Beneath the Newberry Volcano may be one of the largest geothermal heat reservoirs in the western United States. AltaRock Energy has been developing and applying EGS tech- nologies at the Newberry Volcano for the last four years. Sandia National Laboratories in Coso, California . Located near the Coso geothermal production field within the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, data from this proposed site potentially indicates the presence of high subsurface temperature with little fluid and permeable rock at depth. Sandia National Laboratories in Fallon, Nevada. The proposed site at Fallon, Nevada, is located on the U.S Navy’s Naval Air Station Fallon. They will develop addition- al scientific data including detailed analyses of rock samples, natural seismicity, surface and borehole characteristics, and other geological analyses. It will also generate a 3-D model and plans for potential develop- ment of the Fallon site for the FORGE EGS demonstration. University of Utah in Milford City, Utah , may contain large volumes of high- temperature granite, potentially conducive to EGS development. The site is located roughly 2-4 miles west of several deep wells drilled as part of a geothermal exploration project in 1979. The University of Utah along with its partnering government agency, national laboratory, academic insti- tution, and industry stakeholders will con- duct tests and refine models to demonstrate the site’s viability for a dedicated research facility to advance EGS technology. 1-( 5-// "<67)06 1' $) %5) ()(-'%7)( 72 7,) :%7)5 :)// -1(8675< %576 /2'%7)( %1( 63%5)6 3529-()( *25 );-67-1+ )48-30)17 @ 527%5< 7%&/)6 12: 352(8')( :-7, /%5+) 5-1+ +)%5 %1( 3-1-21 ))( !)3%-56 !27%5< 7%&/)6 > 8( 38036 > %.25 '20321)176 21A7 *25+)7 5()5 <285 '23< 2* ?#5%16*)5 2* #)',12/2+<@ :5-77)1 &< 2,1 A 632-5 $ ,)67187 9) 1-( ,21) > %; ::: )1-((5-// '20 = ;'-7-1+ ',%1+)6= 32 OCTOBER 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®