Energy company checks on quake risk
Posted: 16 Jan 2007, 11:54
I wonder if this earthquake problem is to a certain extent inevitable in all geothermal energy projects? In other words, where there is a lot of heat in the ground is there always a risk of seismic activity?
(I guess when it comes to alternative sources of energy, "every silver lining has a cloud"
)
http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/ ... 23710.html
(I guess when it comes to alternative sources of energy, "every silver lining has a cloud"
)http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/ ... 23710.html
QUEENSLAND-BASED hot-rock company Geodynamics says it has looked into the risk of its operations causing earthquakes, after a Swiss company was forced to halt testing that triggered an earth tremor.
Geodynamics experiments with geothermal energy production by circulating water through an artificial reservoir and extracting heat from granite.
Similar projects are under way in France, Switzerland, Germany, California and Japan.
Australia has a recognised potential for geothermal energy because of the world's hottest known granite corridors, with temperatures reaching about 235 degrees at a depth of 3.5 kilometres.
Earlier this month, Swiss engineers halted a geothermal heat experiment after it set off a small earthquake.
The tremor, near Basel on December 9, measured 3.4 on the Richter scale and caused widespread fear, prompting about 1000 calls to emergency services.
The tremor occurred after water was injected at high pressure into a five-kilometre-deep bore.
Geodynamics chief executive Adrian Williams said the company had investigated the risk of tremors at its major project in South Australia's Cooper Basin.
"Geodynamics has previously considered such processes, and analysis indicates that such events in the Cooper Basin are of small and of negligible consequence," Mr Williams said.
The company's shares have almost halved to about 90? in the past 12 months, with work at one of its major wells, Habanero 2, suspended due to a blockage. The shares slipped a further 40? in October when Geodynamics was unsuccessful in applying for a cut of the Federal Government's $500 million low emission technology demonstration fund.