By Anna Leah E. Gonzales March 26, 2021
GreenFire Energy Inc. said it has entered into an agreement with Energy Development Corp. (EDC) to restore and generate steam from an idle geothermal well at the Mahanagdong geothermal facility in Leyte.
In a statement on Thursday, GreenFire said the geothermal well has not been usable due to the high level of non-condensable gases produced from the well when flowing.
The company said the heat mining system will correct this and meet its surface system pressure requirements once it is installed and commissioned in the fourth quarter of this year.
According to GreenFire, its GreenLoop is a patented, closed-loop geothermal energy system that generates power from geothermal resources where conventional geothermal systems cannot effectively operate, typically due to lack of permeability, water or pressure.
“We really appreciate EDC’s willingness to consider and implement new solutions to geothermal wells and resources that have excellent potential but with production issues that can’t be addressed by conventional technology. Many geothermal operators around the world have similar needs, but EDC is one of the most innovative so we’re pleased to have the opportunity to work with them,” said Joseph Scherer, chief executive officer of GreenFire Energy Inc.
GreenFire said GreenLoop can retrofit unproductive or idle geothermal wells and run successfully at field-scale.
“We have been looking at GreenFire Energy’s closed-loop approach to geothermal for some time and are happy to see the progress. While we see potential for the technology in large greenfield projects too, we see the fast payback on well retrofits as the easiest way to start,” said EDC Senior Vice President and head of Facilities Operations and Maintenance Group Liberato Virata.
GreenFire Energy and EDC are also working together to analyze other unproductive geothermal wells, and less productive geothermal fields where the potential for using this technology will be of the greatest technical and economic benefit.
“Being able to generate steam from our idle geothermal wells that will enable us to supply more of that much needed clean, reliable, stable power that our country needs is all a part of fulfilling EDC’s mission to forge collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future,” said Virata.
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