Geothermal exploration
awaits
approval
by Ron Sering
In an effort to locate geothermal resources hot enough to generate electricity, Mount Princeton Geothermal recently announced plans for exploratory drilling of six test holes in the Mount Princeton area.
Six proposed drill sites are on private land in the Nathrop and Buena Vista areas.
Work awaits permit approval from the Colorado Division of Water Resources. State law mandates a comment period for landowners within a half-mile of proposed drill sites.
Letters were mailed to each landowner within the specified distance and they may raise "substantive concerns" about the project until Oct. 24.
Before the end of the comment period, the company hopes to contact landowners near each site to discuss the project.
When the comment period ends, the company will have 30 days to submit applications to drill, subject to Colorado Division of Water Resources approval.
Colorado School of Mines field camp students earlier performed detailed surveys identifying potential geothermal energy sources.
"Now we've completed a geophysical survey of the area, we're gearing up for phase two," Fred Henderson III, chief scientist for the company, said.
It involves drilling six 300-foot-deep holes to measure thermal gradient in selected locations.
"The process," Henderson said, "is about the equivalent of drilling a water well."
He said personnel measure the increase of heat per 10 feet of depth to obtain a mathematical value indicating geothermal potential. The exploration is a followup on research performed by Amax in the 1970s.
"Exploratory work is flexible," Henderson said. "We can move the sites if we need to."
Drilling each hole will take two or three weeks and Henderson added, "Then we restore the land just like we found it."
He termed the circumstances "a perfect storm of opportunity." Many of the possible sites are close to electric transmission lines, and new technology is available for producing electricity using hot water rather than steam.
Congress recently extended tax credits for alternative energy development, including geothermal.
If feasible heat sources are identified, company plans include deep reservoir drilling in selected areas with possible surface plant construction beginning in 2010.
"This is the test case," Henderson said. "If it works here, we can apply these techniques statewide."
More information about the proposed project is available from Henderson at 395-0440 or at hendcos@msn.com.
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