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As countries seek In order to obtain a much-needed supply of clean, reliable energy, some are looking to an unconventional source: abandoned oil and gas wells harnessed for geothermal heat.
Millions of inactive wells Scattered all over the United StatesEffects of previous eras of fossil fuel production. Many of the sites have no official owner, and many still pollute groundwater and leak methane, which traps heat. The country has barely scratched the surface in dealing with this problem.
Policymakers in both Republican- and Democratic-led states are exploring whether these sites could instead be converted into new geothermal wells. After all, the holes had already been dug in the ground. Areas experiencing extensive oil and gas development have rich subsurface data that geothermal companies need to determine where and how to build their carbon-neutral systems.
This concept is relatively new and largely untested, although scientists and startups are Work to change that. Countries are also laying the groundwork for action by removing regulatory hurdles and launching in-depth studies.
In Oklahoma, the state Senate is considering A invoice It would create a process for companies to purchase abandoned oil and gas wells and repurpose them for geothermal or underground energy storage. The state of Oklahoma has identified more than 20,000 wells of this type, and state regulators estimate that filling them all will take 235 years and hundreds of millions of dollars. Repairing a single old well can cost $75,000 to $150,000 or more, by some accounts, depending on where it is located and how complex the cleanup is.
The Well Reuse Act, which passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives in March, is modeled after the Well Reuse Act Similar law Which New Mexico adopted last year to address its more than 2,000 orphan wells.
The Oklahoma bill “recognizes that these wells are a liability, and that there might be a way to turn them into some sort of revenue generation and give them value,” said Dave Tragethon, communications director for the nonprofit. Well done institutionwhich works to find and cap abandoned oil and gas wells across the country. “And if there is value, it means there is more willingness to address it and more opportunities to raise funding.”
And in Alabama, lawmakers He issued a law Last month allowed the state to approve and regulate the conversion of oil and gas wells to take advantage of alternative energy resources such as geothermal energy. North Dakota The draft law was adopted Last year, a legislative council demanded a study of the feasibility of using unproductive wells to generate geothermal energy. In Colorado, state agencies only Launched a technical study To evaluate the potential for reusing old wells for geothermal energy development and carbon capture and sequestration.
These efforts reflect growing bipartisan support for geothermal energy, which has largely declined He remained unharmed Due to the Trump administration’s efforts to block renewable energy projects. The energy supplier has the potential to help meet the country’s growing energy demand while reducing global warming emissions from electricity and heating.
Converting wells is tempting but complicated
Geothermal systems work by circulating fluids underground to capture natural heat, which can then be used to drive turbines to generate electricity or to directly warm air and water in buildings. Industry is Gain momentum Thanks to recent advances in drilling methods and technologies that make it technically or financially possible to access geothermal energy in more places.
Many of these achievements have come from the oil and gas industry, which Skilled workforce This was assisted by a number of drilling engineers, geologists, and large corporate resources Launching startups And deployment of advanced systems. However, most of this expertise and funding is being pumped into building new projects, not into figuring out how to retool leaky wells left by previous generations.
