IGA NEWS1

I GA New s No. 79

New slet t er of t he I nt ernat ional Geot herm al Association
Quart erly No. 79

IGA ACTIVITIES
Message from the President
Ladsi Rybach
Dear IGA member
This is the ninth message from your current President.
In my function as IGA President, I was again invited torepresent our association and to deliver presentations at
various occasions. The following events have taken placesince my last message:- EGEC GeoPower Europe Meeting, Munich/Germany,3 – 4 December 2009, with “Speeding up geothermal
power development”;- European Geothermal PhD Day, Potsdam/Germany, 12
February 2010 with “Research frontiers in geothermal
development – a wide open field for PhD students”;- International Geother mal Conference,
Budapest/Hungary, 4 March 2010, with “World-widestatus and prospects for geothermal energy”;- Geothermal GeoEner 2010 Conference, Madrid/Spain,
10 March 2010, with “Geothermal energy for buildings”.
The IPCC Special Report on “Renewable Energy
Sources and Climate Change Mitigation” (SRREN) has
reached the First Order Draft stage. Various IGA
members have been Coordinating, Lead, or Contributing
authors of SRREN Chapter 4 “Geothermal Energy”.
Among others I was appointed by IPCC to act as Expert
Reviewer of the entire report.
The preparations for establishing the IGA Secretariat at
the Geothermal Center Bochum/Germany after 1 January
2011 (endorsed by EGEC) have started; a Memorandumof Understanding will now be negotiated with the
Geothermische Vereinigung e.V.
WGC2010 in Nusa Dua, Bali/Indonesia (April 25-30,
2010) is approaching; the Draft Technical Program has
been finalized, providing for 130 Sessions (650 papers
scheduled for oral presentation, 260 in reserve) and several
Poster Sessions. Besides the conference, the presentations
and the exhibition, social events have also been scheduled:
Welcome Party, 25 April, 7 pm at The Westin Resort;Indonesian Night, 27 April, 7 pm at Garuda Wisnu
Kencana; Closing Ceremony, 30 April, 4.30 pm -5.30 pm
at Nusa Indah Hall; Farewell Party, 30 April, 7 pm at theBali Pecatu. Preparations for an IGA General Assembly totake place on 28 April and the 49th BoD on 1 May are also
underway.

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Contents
IGA ACTIVITIES
Message from the President
Update WGC 2010 Technical Program
Late February snapshot of the WGC 2010

1
2
2

EUROPE/EGEC´s position paper on carbon capture3
and storage/First European Geothermal PhD-Day –EGPD201
5
Germany/The seismic risk in geothermal projects
can be managed!
6
6
Switzerland/ Seismic risk assessment in Basel
AMERICAS
Canada / The Canadian geothermal energy association(CANGEA) announces the release of theCanadian geothermal code for public reporting 8
El Salvador / Promising results of the first9
exploratory wells in the Chinameca
Mexico / XVII Congress and Assembly of the
Mexican Geothermal Association (AGM)
10
UPCOMING EVENTS
Geothermal meetings
2
A new contract between the World Bank and IGA
Service GmbH for the Bank’s African Rift Geothermal
Development Program is currently being negotiated. The
a g reement will cover the following elements: a )Geothermal Project Development; b) Establishment of an
East African Branch of IGA and c) Implementation of anInternship Program.
The cooperation between IGA and our partnerorganizations within the REN Alliance (the International
Renewable Energy Alliance) is developing well and activity
is increasing. Executive Director Arni Ragnarsson
represented IGA at the IRENA (International Renewable
Energy Agency) meetings in Abu Dhabi in January 2010,
within the framework of the World Future Energ ySummit.
As a follow-up from the IGA Board of Directors’decision about closer cooperation between IGA and GRC,
a link to key events of the two associations has been
established on the respective associations’ websites,
including the announcement of WGC2010 now being
prominently placed on the GRC website.

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I GA New s No. 79

I look forward to continuing to working with all of you
in our joint effort to promote geothermal and thank you
for your support.

Update on the WGC 2010
Technical ProgrammeRoland Horne and Nenny Saptadji,
WGC 2010 Technical Program CoChairs
The WGC has received 1045 papers from 85 countries.
The papers have been reviewed, revised, edited andincluded in the programme.
The timetable for the technical programme wasannounced on February 1, and is posted now on the WGC
website at www.wgc2010.org (look under the tab“Progamme”). There will be 650 formal oral presentations,and 395 poster presentations. Each session will have five
speakers and two reserve speakers (who will also present
posters). Reserve speakers will make presentations if aspeaker is absent from the session. All 1045 papers will be
included on the Proceedings CD, to be provided in the
congress registration for all participants.
The programme will also include formal presentationsin the opening and closing ceremonies. The President ofIndonesia and the President of Iceland have both been
invited to attend and speak. There will also be two plenary
sessions including panel discussions, one on international
cooperation in geothermal energy development, and theother on the development of geothermal energy inIndonesia. A special session on renewable energy will
include speakers from the Renewable Energy Alliance.
The technical programme has been organized by aninternational committee of 140 technical topic experts,
under the chairmanship of Prof. Roland Horne of the
USA and Prof. Nenny Saptadji of Indonesia. Twocollaborating editorial teams, one in the USA and one inIndonesia, have edited, revised and reformatted the papers.
The technical sessions themselves will be managed by 260
session chairpersons.
The WGC programme will also include cultural events,
field trips and day activities. Total registration is expected
to reach 2500 people.

UPCOMING EVENTSWorld Geothermal Congress 2010, Bali, Indonesia, 25-30
April 2010. Website: www.wgc2010.org
International Geothermal Conference 2010, 19-20 May
2010, Freibug, Germany. E-mail: agentur@enerchange.de
The International Conference Cities on Volcanoes,
CoV6, 31 May – 4 June, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
Contact: cov6-tenerife2010@citiesonvolcanoes6.com
Renewable Energy World Europe 2010, 8-10 June 2010,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Website: www.renewableenergyworld-europe.com
Re n e w a b l e E n e r g y 2 0 1 0 , 2 7 Ju n e - 2 Ju l y 2 0 1 0 ,Yiokohama, Japan. Website: www.re2010.org
2010 IAHR International Groundwater Symposium –Session on Mass Transfer in Geothermal Systems, 222 4 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 0 , Va l e n c i a , S p a i n . We b s i t e :http://iahr2010-gw.com
1 1 t h Wo r l d Re n e wa b l e E n e r g y C o n g r e s s a n d
Exhibition, 25-30 September 2010, Abu-Dhabi. Website:www.wrenuk.co.uk
34th GRC Annual Meeting, 24-27 October 2010,
Sacramento, California, USA. Website:www.geothermal.org
Der Geothermiekongress 2010, 16-18 November 2010,
Karlsruhe, Germany. Website: www.geothermie.de
Exploring and Harnessing the Renewable and Promising
Geothermal Energy, Djibouti, 22-25 November 2010.
Contact: argeo-c3-djibouti@intnet.dj

Late February snapshot of the
WGC 2010
Suryadarma, Indonesian Geothermal
Association (INAGA)
As of late February, the Organizing Committee (OC) of
the World Geothermal Congress 2010, the IGA Steering
Committee and the Co-Convener Indonesian Geothermal
Association (INAGA) reported the following status ofCongress preparations.
Up to 19 February 2010, the number of registeredparticipants was 744, from 75 countries. Of these, 646 aretechnical participants and 98 are accompanying persons

World Geothermal Congress 201025-30 April, 2010 – Bali, Indonesia
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I GA New s No. 79(Editors note: As of 8 April, the number of registered participants
had risen to 1343). The number of contracted booths for
the Exhibition was 74 out of 83 reserved. The number offellowships granted was 104 from IGA and 84 from theUnited Nations University (UNU).
The status of registration for the WGC 2010 Short
Courses by 22 February 2010 was: 26 persons for SC1(Drilling, completion and testing of geothermal wells); 12
persons for SC2 (Design, construction and operation ofgeothermal plants); 3 persons for SC3 (Geothermal heatpumps); 6 persons for SC4 (Financing geother mal
projects); and 5 persons for SC5 (Introduction togeothermal energy). At that time there were sufficient
inscriptions to run Short Courses 1 and 2. It is expectedthat more people will register for Short Courses.
A number of technical and social events have beenarranged:- Welcome Reception at the Westin Hotel, Poolside andGarden, at 7 pm, 25 April 2010. Includes welcoming
remarks by organizers, Golf Tournament trophy awards
ceremony, cocktails, buffet, Indonesian music anddancing.
- Opening Ceremony, Westin Hotel, Nusantara Indah
Hall, starting 7 am, 26 April 2010. Includes registration;
welcoming dance (Balanganjur dance); report from theOC; welcome remarks from INAGA; opening remarks
from the President of IGA; Indonesian children´s choir;
opening speech by the President of the Republic ofIndonesia, Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; signing ofGeothermal Project World Wide (TBA); opening
keynote remarks by the President of Iceland Mr. Olafur
Ragnar Grimsson; exhibition visit; and coffee break.
- Other technical events are: Keynote Speaker Session I
featuring talks by high officials from the governmentsof Indonesia, USA and India and from geothermalcompanies and institutions (Pertamina, Chevron
International and WGC 2010 Technical Programme
C ommittee). Keynote Spea ker Session II withpresentations on world geothermal development, direct
u t i l i z a t i o n , p owe r g e n e r a t i o n a n d su st a i n a b l edevelopment. Panel discussion on global geothermal
development. Panel discussion and REN AlliancePartners side events.
A snapshot on the Technical Programme is presented
in an accompanying article.

The Social Programme includes the Indonesian Night(Tuesday 27 April, 7 pm), the Closing Ceremony (Friday
30 April, 4.30 pm) and the Farewell Party (Friday 30 April,
7 pm). The status of field trips registration was 19 persons
for FT1, 1 person for FT2, 16 persons for FT3 and 1
person for FT4.

EuropeEGEC´s position paper oncarbon capture and storage
Editorial note: This article reproduces an EGEC paper and it does
not necessarily represents IGA´s views.
Before the EU Member States implement the directive on
the geological storage of carbon dioxide (CCS) and the
directive on the promotion of the use of energy fromrenewable Sources, EGEC, representing the geothermal
industry, and relying on its members’ expertise in geology
and hydrogeology, belonging to organisations involved ingeothermal but also CCS technologies, presents here its
position addressing the synergies and conflicting issues
in both technologies.
- H av i n g r e g a r d t o t h e R E S D i r e c t ive, d e f i n i n g
geothermal energy as a renewable “energy stored in the formof heat beneath the surface of solid earth”- Having regard to the CCS directive (recital 19 and article4), “Member States should retain the right to determine the areas
within their territory from which storage sites may be selected. This
includes the right of Member States not to allow any storage inparts or on the whole of their territory, or to give priority to any
other use of the underground, such as exploration, production andstorage of hydrocarbons or geothermal use of aquifers. In thiscontext, Member States should in particular give due consideration
to other energy-related options for the use of a potential storage site,
including options which are strategic for the security of theMember State’s energy supply or for the development of renewablesources of energy”.
EGEC considers:• CCS is a solution to mitigate climate change at shortand medium term, towards a carbon free European
energy• It could be applied in particular if no alternatives exist,
like for energy-intensive industry (steel, cement, glass…),

GEOTHERMICS
International Journal of Geothermal Research and its Applications

Published under the auspices of the International Geothermal Association
Content of the latest issues: http:/www.elsevier.com/locate/geothermics
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January - March 2010

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I GA New s No. 79• the CCS exploration licence must be granted for adefined area and for a specified period of time. The area
and the duration of the licence should be appropriate
for the size and type of the project as done in the oiland gas industry• the potential of deep geothermal in Europe must be
evaluated (with a special emphasis on Enhanced
Geothermal Systems (EGS))EGEC urges public authorities to produce anunderground regional planning in order to optimise
resource allocation between geothermal energy,
carbon storage and possible other undergroundusages, and therefore maximize the benefits forsociety.
There is obviously conflicting potential as a result of
the competition between CO2 disposal and geothermalenergy projects because they may target the same deep
aquifers, or the same areas within sedimentary basins.
Geothermal energy may also be produced from rocks
below the depth range for potential CO2 disposal sites, andinvestigations are needed to determine if geothermal
exploitation beneath CO2 deposits might be feasible at all.

Fig 1 shows major on – and offshore sedimentary basins in Europe
which are possible storage sites. Cost analysis must be performed to
identify the most cost-effective (modified after Kirkaldy, 1967)• CCS should use privilege off-shore storage sites
wherever feasible,• CO2, like natural gas, is a sensitive fluid which needs tobe stored in safe conditions with an impermeable cap to
avoid migration.
A research collaboration should start immediately
between both the Geothermal and CCS communities1 oncommon areas of interest in order to decrease the costs
and resolve environmental issues:

Carbon capture and storage is essentially a bridging
technology whereas geothermal energy is a sustainableenergy resource.

- drilling stimulation and reservoir assessment, 3D & 4D
modelling, deep geological mapping (1-5 km),
- Creation of a Fund for covering the drilling risk,- monitoring of micro-seismicity- a research program should be launched on permanent
fixation of CO2 in the form of calcite in basaltic rocks- a research program should be initiated on the safe use of
CO2 as a heat carrier fluid in geothermal systems suchas EGS
Therefore EGEC suggests:• the CCS projects financed by the European Economy
Recovery Plan (ca. €1.050 billion) and the NER300
must share with the public their results on explorationand storage
1plus oil & gas sector on some topics

January - March 2010

This map shows geological basins in Europe which arepossible for cost-effective geothermal electricity projects ; future
developments might allow other regions to be used too. There is also
current potential in Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, which are
not covered on the map (base map Kirkaldy, 1967).

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I GA New s No. 79
Zones of dual use capability should be clearly
identified and priority should be given to their use forgeothermal energy over their use as a carbon storage
site.
EGEC foresees an impor tant development ofgeothermal energy in the future and especially after 2030
when Enhanced Geothermal Systems will be a widely-usedtechnology.
The increase of a renewable energy source, a long termsolution, must not be hampered by a technology, CCS, thathas the potential only to serve as a temporary, interim
GHG mitigation measure.
European Geothermal Energy Council - EGEC
Renewable Energy House
63-67 rue d’Arlon - B - 1040 Brussels
T : +322 400 10 24 & F : +322 400 10 39
E : com@egec.org & W : www.egec.org

First European Geothermal
PhD-Day – EGPD201
Henning Francke1, Thomas Reinsch1,
Ansgar Schepers1, Matthis Thorade1
1 Helmholtz

Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre forGeosciences
The first European Geothermal PhD-day (EGPD2010)
was held at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences - on February
12th, 2010, as a result of an initiative of the European
Energy Research Alliance (EERA) joint program in
geothermal energy. The goal of the PhD-day was to bring
together young scientists working in various fields ofg e o t h e r m a l e n e r g y r e se a r ch a n d o f f e r t h e m t h eopportunity to share ideas and build up a network between
them, which leads to synergies and collaborations.
During the last year, addresses of more than 180 PhD
students working in geothermal energy research have beencollected from 20 European countries. About half of them

Key note lecturew w w.geot herm al- energy.org

Requirements• Geology or Geophysics degree, professional certification• Over 10 years experience in the exploration of geothermal
resources• Oil & gas or mining background will be considered• Proven leadership and project management abilities• Proven negotiation and communication skills• Strong geological and geophysical interpretive skills• Experience using computer software applicable toexploration• A problem solver, “get it done” attitude

Some students during poster presentation
participated in the EGDP2010. In total, participants from
16 countries and various scientific disciplines attended the
PhD-day, showing that there is a broad interest in
geothermal energy research throughout Europe. The
presented topics ranged from socio-economic
observations over engineering aspects to geoscientificstudies.
The PhD-day star ted with the keynote lecture“Research frontiers in geothermal development – a wide
open field for PhD students” given by Ladislaus
Rybach/Switzerland. Afterwards, the participants eachgave a short presentation to introduce their topics ofresearch, which were discussed in detail in the subsequentposter session. This was followed by a concluding
presentation by Fausto Batini/Italy about the EERA joint
program in geothermal energy. The collection of abstracts
can be found on the website www.gfz-potsdam.de/
egpd2010.
The scientific quality of the presentations wasevaluated and a poster prize was awarded by the scientificcommittee, which consisted of Eva Schill/Switzerland,
Ja n - D i e d e r i c k v a n We e s / N e t h e r l a n d s, E r n s t
Hueng es/Ger many, Fausto Batini/Italy, Mar tyn
Unsworth/Canada, Ólafur Flovenz/Iceland and Thomas
Kohl/Switzerland. Financial support for the organization

Some participants during Potsdam sightseeing tour

January - March 20106of the event was generously given by Vattenfall Europe
Technology Research GmbH, Schlumberger GmbH,
Gasag - Berliner Gaswerke AG, RWE Innogy GmbH,
Baker Hughes INTEQ GmbH, Ferrostaal AG, and GPC
Instrumentation Process (GPC IP).
The general consensus was that the EGPD2010 was a
successful event and yielded interesting contacts andfruitful discussions among the PhD students. Thus, and inorder to strengthen the newly developed network among
the European geothermal PhD students, annual meetings
are planned to be held in different European countries.
The next meeting, EGPD2011, is scheduled for next year
and will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Germany

The seismic risk in geothermal
projects can be managed!
Editorial note: This article reproduces a press release from GtV-Bv
The seismic risk of geother mal projects can be
managed – this is the key message of the recently
published seismological expertise on the Basel project.
In the course of a geother mal project, groundmovements did occur in Basel, Switzerland. T hemagnitude according to the Richter scale reached amaximum of 3.4. The project had been suspended
immediately, as a risk was seen that a major earthquake
might be triggered. Basel is located in a seismically active
area, and had been badly damaged by a quake in mediaeval
times.
The moratorium provided the time for a seismic
investigation and expertise.
The expertise now finalised has been released in asummary version, the final publication of the full tet mighttake a few months more. Hence it is hard to evaluate
currently the conclusions drawn.
The expertise concludes, based upon comprehensive
calculations, that there is no risk of geothermal energy
triggering a major, natural earthquake. The impact on
existing geological faults is much too small for that.
Furthermore, the considerations made are rather specificfor the Basel area, i.e. for a region with high risk ofearthquakes. They cannot be transferred to other sites.
Basel is a unique, singular case in many respects.
Also the incidents caused (induced) by the project
directly can be calculated and are controllable. In addition
to the usual methods for risk analysis, the authors of theexpertise suggest a relation to the size of the reservoir
used in the underground. This relation could be found inreviewing numerous cases where fluids have been injected
into the underground. As the size of the reservoir can beplanned and controlled by the plant operator, the seismic
risk is controllable and geothermal plants are possible also
in future. In the stimulation process in Basel, water of highpressure (300 bar at the borehole head) has been injected

January - March 2010

I GA New s No. 79
into the underground, in order to create an artificial heatexchanger. This situation cannot be compared with theoperational phase of a geothermal plant, when much
lower pressures are used, not the least due to economic
reasons. It is also a fact that a geother mal plant is
operational in Riehen near Basel since many years, without
seismic events.
The fact that the expertise very likely means the final
stop for the geothermal project in Basel does not diminish
its basic message. In Basel, not only the subsurface heatexchanger was in an unfavourable situation, but also the“vulnerability” of the immediate surroundings was
unusually high, sporting urban buildings and industry.
Hence the authors of the expertise calculated substantial,
and surely untypical, maximum damage cost.
Press contact:
D r. H o r s t K r e u t e r , 0 0 4 9 ( 0 ) 7 2 1 5 7 0 4 4 6 8 8 ,horst.kreuter@geothermie.de
P r o f . D r. H o r s t R ü t e r , 0 0 4 9 ( 0 ) 2 3 1 4 4 5 7 6 6 ,horst.rueter@geothermie.de

Switzerland

Seismic risk assessment inBasel
In the aftermath of the Basel EGS project, the KantonBasel-Stadt commissioned Q-con GmbH to undertake aseismic risk analysis for the Basel region. The reference
for the full study is as follows:
Deep Heat Mining Basel - Seismic Risk Analysis
Stefan Baisch, David Carbon, Uwe Dannwolf,
Bastien Delacou, Mylène Devaux, François Dunand,Reinhard Jung, Martin Koller, Christophe Martin,
Mario Sartori, Ramon Secanell, Robert Vörös.
SERIANEX study prepared for the “Departement
für Wirtschaft, Soziales und Umwelt des Kantons
Basel-Stadt, Amt für Umwelt und Energie”,
http://www.wsu.bs.ch/geothermie, 553 pages.
The summary from this report is reproduced below bypermission of Q-con and Kanton Basel-Stadt.

From the Secreteriat
IGA General meeting 28 April 2010
IGA will held a General Meeting on 28 April, 2010 inNusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, during the WGC2010. The
meeting will start at 6 p.m. in the Nusa Indah Hall at theWestin Hotel, BICC. All IGA members are welcome tothe meeting where information about the main IGA
activities in the past as well as the plans for the future
will be given.

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I GA New s No. 79
SUMMARY
In the course of the development of an enhanced
geothermal reservoir at a depth of about 5 km underneaththe city of Basel, a felt earthquake of magnitude ML = 3.4
was triggered on December 8th, 2006. The operator’sinsurance paid out property damages of about 7 million
CHF, which were attributed to the earthquake. The
geothermal project has been suspended since. In thecurrent study, commissioned by the Kanton Basel-Stadt
and supported by the Swiss federal government, we assess
the seismic risk resulting from continued development andsubsequent operation of the geothermal system.
Besides seismicity triggered directly by the geothermal
project, the study also considers the impact of thegeothermal reservoir on natural seismic activity in the
Basel region. The principal issue is to what extent thegeothermal project may affect the occurrence of a large
earthquake. Such an earthquake caused large damage tothe city of Basel in the year 1356.
To analyse the issue, we developed a 3-dimensional
geologic model of the subsurface of the Basel region. In
the wider vicinity of the geothermal reservoir, eight
relevant, natural fault zones were identified, each of themlarge enough to produce large earthquakes. We estimatedthe seismic activity of these faults, i.e. the time intervals
when large earthquakes could be expected to occur onthese faults. We found that the geothermal reservoir canhave an impact on the recurrence time of these natural

earthquakes by modifying subsurface stresses. But,
numerical simulations demonstrate that these variations arevery small and represent a negligible risk.
In addition, the development and operation of the
project is expected to result in seismic activity in theimmediate vicinity of the geothermal reservoir. We
developed a numerical model to capture these processes,
ran computational simulations and used empirical relations
to investigate how future seismic activity might evolve.
Given the local conditions, there is a high probability thatearthquakes exceeding the strength of previous activity
will occur during continued development and operation of
the geothermal facility. We expect the biggest event
magnitude in the order of ML=4.5. Further, we anticipate
up to 30 felt earthquakes in the development phase, 9 ofwhich might reach or exceed the intensity of theearthquake of December 8th, 2006. Within the operational
period of 30 years, we expect 14 to 170 felt earthquakes.
To estimate the associated property damage, werecorded the building stock within a radius of 12 km
around the facility. Using probabilistic modelling of theseismic risk we classified buildings according to theirvulnerability. Based on expert judgement, we expect norelevant property damages to infrastructural facilities
resulting from the induced earthquakes. However, in all
likelihood property damage of 40 million CHF is to be
expected in case of continued development of thegeothermal reservoir. This comprises minor structural

Project Manager Geothermal Exploration – Europe
Job Description
We are a new geothermal energy company, focused on the exploration and development of geothermal power resources in
Europe. In 2010, we will be expanding our investigations of several regions that may host economic geothermal resources. Our
principals are based in Canada and the US and have successfully developed oil & gas, mining and geothermal resources.
We require a project manager with field experience in geothermal exploration to coordinate in-country staff, consultants andcontractors. This individual will have broad responsibility for project planning and management, budgets, liaising withgovernment agencies, characterizing resources with appropriate exploration methods, and preparing detailed reports to describe anumber of geothermal aquifers and their relative potential.
We are now interviewing candidates for this assignment. This is a contract position based in Europe that will require in-country
and international travel. The initial term of this contract will be one year with the potential of extension for a second year. We
will provide an excellent compensation package to the right person including equity incentives. This is an attractive andrewarding opportunity for an entrepreneurial professional.

Responsibilities• Design and manage the exploration programs• Prepare and manage budgets• Manage local staff, consultants and contractors• Liaise with land owners and local and national governments• Coordinate geological, geochemical and geophysical studies• Develop geological and resource models• Supervise exploratory drilling operations• Prepare detailed assessments of target geothermal resources• Prepare funding applications for development and technicalassistance

Location:Contact:
Date:w w w.geot herm al- energy.org

Requirements• Geology or Geophysics degree, professional certification• Over 10 years experience in the exploration of geothermal
resources• Oil & gas or mining background will be considered• Proven leadership and project management abilities• Proven negotiation and communication skills• Strong geological and geophysical interpretive skills• Experience using computer software applicab le toexploration• A problem solver, “get it done” attitude

Europedroberts@penderfinancial.com
January 4, 2010

January - March 2010

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I GA New s No. 79

From the Secreteriat

Americas

IGA Board election 2010

CanadaThe election for the 2010–2013 term of the IGA
Board of Directors will be held in the period May-July
2010. The nomination process is already finished. This
time the election material will be distributed to IGA
members electronically only. Thus, ballots and otherelection material will not be sent in paper form tomembers as at earlier BoD elections. However, thosemembers who are not able to receive the material
electronically can request the Secretariat to send it tothem in paper form. To facilitate the election process
it is important that IGA members are registered with
their e-mail addresses. The voting itself will bethrough the IGA website where all necessar y
information will also be available when the election
starts.

The Canadian geothermalenergy association (CANGEA)
announces the release of theCanadian geothermal code forpublic reporting

damages, which we expect to occur in large numbers dueto the high population density. There is a 15% probability,that damages will even exceed 600 million CHF in an
extreme case. During the projected facility’s operational
period of 30 years, the most probable property damage is
set at 6 million CHF per year.
While the risk of the geothermal project to cause
bodily harm is low, the property damage may be deemed as
unacceptable according to risk criteria of the Swiss
ordinance on major accidents. We reach the sameconclusion also by comparing other technical risks in
Switzerland, where in some cases potential cumulative
damages are less.
In light of the considerable property damage risk in
Basel, we evaluated alternative concepts for developing thegeothermal reservoir at its current location. We conclude
that none of the concepts considered will completely ruleout the occurrence of earthquakes. Therefore, alternative
utilization concepts at this location will require a separate
risk assessment.
From a seismic risk perspective, the location of Basel isunfavourable for the exploitation of a deep geothermal
reservoir in the crystalline basement. Other locations in
Switzerland may offer a significantly lower seismic risk. A
thorough evaluation of site-specific seismic risk should be
required for future geothermal project developments in
Switzerland. The findings of this Basel study constitute animportant data point for future risk assessments. After
analyses of the data acquired from the suspended project
and after comparison with experiences made in othergeothermal projects, we consider the Basel earthquakes
c a u s e d by t h e g e o t h e r m a l p r o j e c t t o h a ve b e e n
exceptionally strong.

January - March 2010CALGARY, ALBERTA—(Jan. 18, 2010) – The
Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA)
announces the release of the Canadian Geothermal Codefor Public Reporting. The Canadian Geothermal Code for
Public Reporting provides a minimum set of requirements
for the public re por ting of Exploration Results,
Geothermal Resources and Geothermal Reserves. The
Code will provide a basis for transparency, consistency andconfidence in the public reporting of geother mal
information.
The Canadian Geothermal Code for Public Reporting
was pre pared by the Canadian Geother mal CodeCommittee (CGCC), established in December 2008. The
primary objectives determined by the Committee were toprovide a reporting basis that would be satisfactory toinvestors, stakeholders and capital markets such as the
Canadian Securities Exchanges, and to develop a Code thatwould be applicable to geothermal plays in both Canada
and internationally. The Code, a first in Canada, will serve
to increase investor confidence and interest in thegeothermal energy sector through the standardization ofgeothermal reporting.
Lee Deibert, CanGEA Director and CGCC Chairman
had this to say about the Code, “This key initiative has
been completed for the benefit of our members and theindustry overall. With the increasing level of activity in
Canadian geothermal public and private financings,
merg ers & acquisitions, and the development ofgeothermal opportunities in Canada, the Code represents a
key part of any investment and development strategy”.
It is anticipated that public reporting using the Codewill be undertaken by all CanGEA members involved in
exploration and/or operation of geothermal properties.
The use of the Code will be on a voluntary compliancebasis (industry self-regulation) until 2011 when Codecompliance will be a mandatory requirement for CanGEA
membership. CanGEA members involved in the financial
community, including geothermal investors, financial
advisors and financial institutions will also benefit fromstandardized and transparent reporting of geothermal
assets. CanGEA will be holding Code training seminars
throughout the upcoming months.
Alison Thompson, CanGEA Founder and Chair
commented, “The Canadian Geothermal Code for Public
Reporting establishes the industry standard and we arepleased that CanGEA has strengthened our leading role inw w w.geot herm al- energy.org

9

I GA New s No. 79
the international geothermal community. The Canadian
Securities Exchanges are already host to many of thepremier players in the geothermal world and this Code is
expected to further facilitate the industry’s growth.”
CanGEA collaborated with the Australian Geothermal
Energy Association (AGEA) in the development of the
Code.
About CanGEA
CanGEA is a national, not-for-profit association thatworks on behalf of our members to facilitate and promotet h e re sp o n si b l e a n d su st a i n a b l e g row t h o f h i g htemperature geothermal energy in Canada, which, we
believe, can provide competitive, emissions free, renewable,base-load energy to Canadians and export markets. 5,000
MW by 2015!
For more information please contact:
The Canadian Geother mal Energ y Association(CanGEA)
Brian Toohey, B.Eng
Reservoir Engineer
Canadian Geothermal Code Committee Member &Business Development Coordinator
brian@cangea.ca
www.cangea.ca

El Salvador

Promising results of the first
exploratory wells in the
Chinameca Geothermal Field, El
Salvador
Carlos Pullinger and Francisco Montalvo,
LaGeo
The Chinameca g eother mal field (Fig. 1), locatedapproximately 130 km east of the capital city San Salvador,
is the fourth geothermal field where LaGeo S.A. de C.V.
(LaGeo) has undertaken drilling in recent years. The field
is located on the northern flanks of El Limbo and Pacayal
volcanoes of Holocene age. Previous studies and drillingof two deep wells in the 1970s by the Comisión Ejecutiva

Fig. 1 Chinameca geothermal field locationw w w.geot herm al- energy.org

Fig. 2 Drilling platform for the well CHI-3
Hidroeléctrica del Rio Lempa (CEL) identified a moderate
size resource with temperatures in the 200°C range.
However, recent surface exploration studies carried out by
LaGeo in 2004-2006 identified an area of interest to thesouth of the previous wells that included a deep resistive
magnetotellurics (MT) anomaly, several geochemical
anomalies and appropriate geologic structures.
The first well, CHI-3, drilled by LaGeo from February
to April 2009 (Fig. 2), was sited with the objective ofintercepting the transition zone between the shallow
conductive and deep resistive MT anomalies at a site with
geochemical and geological evidences for fractured rocks.
Well CHI-3 was drilled to a depth of 1869 m in a periodof 70 days and intercepted the geothermal reservoir at
1400 m depth (zone of total loss of circulation) with atemperature greater than 240 °C (Fig. 3). Initial simulations
indicate a potential of 3-5 MWe.
Three additional wells are planned to be drilled in 20092010 to further confirm the extent of the geothermal
resource. If these wells indicate a strong potential for
installing a commercial power plant, plans call for
additional drilling and installation of the necessary
infrastructure in order to develop the field and initiate
production in 2014.

Fig. 3 Thermal recovery for the well CHI-3 until 24/04/09

January - March 2010

10

I GA New s No. 79

MexicoXVII Congress and Assembly of
the Mexican Geothermal
Association (AGM)
Luis C.A. Gutiérrez-Negrín
The XVII Annual Congress of the Mexican
Geothermal Association (AGM: Asociación Geotérmica
Mexicana) was held on November 13, 2009, together with
the XVII Ordinary General Assembly. Both meetings werecarried out at the facilities of the geothermal division(Gerencia de Proyectos Geotermoeléctricos) of theComisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE, Federal
Commission for Electricity) in its headquarters located inMorelia City, State of Michoacán, west-central Mexico.
There were 36 participants, from the CFE’s geothermal
division, the Mexican electric research institute (IIE,
Instituto de Investigaciones Eléctricas), the engineering
institute of the national university (Instituto de Ingeniería,
UNAM), the university of Michoacán (Universidad
Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, UMSNH) and two
private companies related to g eother mics (Smith
International and Geocónsul). The attendees werewelcomed by the current AGM’s President and VicePresident, Raúl Maya González and Magaly Flores
Armenta, respectively.
The following ten technical papers were presented anddiscussed during the congress:- Presence of cross-flow at the Cerro Prieto, BC,
geothermal field, by Marco H. Rodríguez (CFE).
- Geochemical changes in fluids from the Las Tres
Vírgenes, BCS, geothermal field during 1997-2007:
Identification of reservoir processes, presented by
Eduardo Iglesias (IIE).

Photo 1. Bernardo Domínguez (right) delivers the 2009 PathéAward to Alfredo Mañón.
- Relationships between the local seismic activity,
injection wells and active faults at the geothermal fields
in Mexico, by Edgar Urban (II, UNAM).
- Evolution of the geothermal system in Acoculco, Pue.,
Mexico: Study based on petrography of well EAC-2
and other subjects, by Julio C. Viggiano (CFE).
- Study with steam- and liquid-tracers in the Tejamaniles
zone, Los Azufres geothermal field, by Eduardo
Iglesias (IIE).
- Economic, environmental and social impacts ofgeothermal development and saving and efficient useof electricity in Baja California, Mexico, presented by
Luis C.A. Gutiérrez (AGM).
- Experiences on acid stimulation activities in the
Mexican geothermal fields, by Magaly Flores (CFE).
- Scaling inhibition on heat exchangers at the Cerro
Prieto geothermal field, by Ismael Canchola (CFE).
- Thermo-poroelasticity in geothermics, formulated infour dimensions, by Mario C. Suárez (UMSNH).
- Composed focal mechanisms: the case of the Los
Azufres geothermal field, by Jorge Soto (CFE).

Photo 2. Some participants at the XVII Annual Congress of the AGM.

January - March 2010w w w.geot herm al- energy.org

11

I GA New s No. 79

From the Secreteriat
IGA Membership Dues
IGA Membership dues for individual and corporate
members for the year 2010 were due 31 March. Inorder to keep the membership status, we advise thoseof you who have not paid to do that as soon as
possible. See the application form on the back coverof this issue for renewal details.

The transactions of the congress were distributed tothe participants on a compact disc. As usual, most of thepapers are going to be published in the Mexican magazine
Geotermia (which can be read at the websites of the AGM(http://www.geotermia.org.mx), and of the Geothermal
Resources Council (GRC) (http://geothermal.org).
The XVII General Assembly was conducted by the
AGM Vice-President. After the reports of the Board of
Directors and the Treasurer, the 2009 Pathé Award wasdelivered to Alfredo Mañón-Mercado by Bernardo
Domínguez-Aguirre - the recipient of the 2008 award.
This is a special award instituted by the AGM in 2005 torecognize the career and achievements of relevant
Mexicans involved in geothermics, and it is delivered every
year. Alfredo Mañón-Mercado, 68, is a chemical engineer
who worked for the for mer Geother ma l E nerg yCommission, based in the Cerro Prieto geothermal field, in
1966-1968. In 1971 he joined the CFE with responsibility
for the chemical laboratory in the same field, and then was
appointed as responsible for the studies area (1977-1981)
and for the entire g eother mal field (Coordinador
Ejecutivo) between 1982 and 1989. From 1989 through1993 he was in charge of the Geochemical Office andfrom 1993 through 1999 of the Environmental Protection
Department of the CFE’s geothermal division, based in
the Morelia headquarters. He retired from CFE in 1996,
and since then has been a private consultant and a directorof the private company Geocónsul.
The AGM finished its meetings with the traditional
photo inside the offices of the CFE’s geothermal division.

w w w.geot herm al- energy.org

IGA News
IGA News is published quarterly by the International
Geothermal Association. The function of IGA Newsis to disseminate timely information about geothermal
activities throughout the world. To this end, a group of
correspondents has agreed to supply news for eachissue. The core of this group consists of the IGA
Information Committee:
Benedict Steingrímsson, Iceland (Chairman)
Graeme Beardsmore, Australia
Werner Bussmann, Germany
Philippe Dumas, France
John Garnish, United Kingdom
Alimin Ginting, Indonesia
Gestur Gíslason, Iceland
Luis Gutierrez-Negrin, Mexico
Roland Horne, USA
Paul Hirtz, USA
Eduardo Iglesias, Mexico
Beata Kepinska, Poland
Jim Lawless, New ZealandPeter Ledingham, UK
Zbigniew Malolepszy, Poland
Francisco E. Montalvo Lopez, El Salvador
Martin N. Mwangi, Kenya
Mahmut Parlaktuna, Turkey
Sylvia Ramos, Philippines
Colin Randall, Australia
Yoonho Song, South Korea
Joaquin Torres-Rodriguez, Mexico
Toshihiro Uchida, Japan
François-David Vuataz, Switzerland
Kasumi Yasukawa, JapanThe members of this group submit geothermal news
from their parts of the world, or relevant to their areasof specialization. If you have some news, a report, or
an article for IGA News, you can send it to any of theabove individuals, or directly to the IGA Secretariat,
whatever is most convenient. Please help us to become
essential reading for anyone seeking the latest
information on geothermal worldwide.
While the editorial team make every effort to ensure
accuracy, the opinions expressed in contributed articles
remain those of the authors and are not necessarily
those of the IGA.
Send IGA News contributions to:
IGA Secretariat, c/o Samorka
Sudurlandsbraut 48, 108 Reykjavík, Iceland
fax: +354-588-4431
e-mail: iga@samorka.is
This issue of IGA News was edited by Eduardo
Iglesias. John Garnish proofread the articles. Producedby Gestur Gíslason for the IGA Secretariat. Design
layout by François Vuataz.

January - March 2010

12

Application for membership
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January - March 2010

I GA New s No. 79
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Geothermics is published four times a year, with a normal
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