九大地熱・火山研究報告第 11 号 (2002) 25-28 頁

GENERAL REPORT ON GEOTHERMAL AND RELATED FIELDSIN IRANFARSHAD LAVIZEH

ABSTRACT
Despite of suitable geological conditions and presence of many potential for geothermal energy productivity inIran, due to lacking of high-tech instrumentation in the field of drilling, reservoir engineering and power plants
construction and also due to existence of huge reservoir of oil and natural gas and cheap expenditures for energy
productivity from them Iran is located at the earlier steps of this technique.
On the other hand because of new policies in the government for changing the resources of energy production fordomestic demands and also regarding to environmental laws, nowadays it can be seen that several organizations
are working for exploration and exploitation of renewable energy resources, Ministry of energy, Center for
Renewable Energy Research and Application (CRERA) and Geological Survey of Iran are among the main ones.
Following report is prepared as a summary of recent activities about Geothermal Energy in Iran.
1. PREVIOUS WORKS

established in 1981 with focusing on technology
application for wind systems, photovoltaic and solarthermal systems.
From 1995 up to now studies by CRERA showed that
10 promising area could be distinguished all around
Iran as can be seen in Fig. 2.

Geothermal studies in Iran started in 1975 with acooperative program between the ministry of energyof Iran and Ente Nazionale per L'Energia Elettrica(ENEL-Italy). Preliminary surveys carried out under
this program indicated potential for either geothermal
direct-use or power generation in at least four areas innorthern Iran, including Khoy-Maku and Mts.Sabalan,Sahand and Damavand (Fig. 1).

Fig. 2 Geothermal promising area in IranFig. 1 Four geothermal prospects initially identified by
ENEL & TEHRAN BEREKLEY CO.

Although by caring out of previous work it had been
determined that there are two promising geothermalarea, Damavand located in central Alborz coveringa total area of almost 5500km 2 and the otherone Maku-Khoy region located in NW of Iran and2. RECENT ACTIVITIESRegarding to new policies in the country for energy
production from renewable resources, CRERA wasGeological Survey of Iran, P.O. Box: 13185-1494, Tehran, IRAN.
E-mail houtan76@yahoo.com

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FARSHAD LAVIZEH

covering an area about 6500km 2 but due to more
promising indices and effective factors in second
one, main activities focused on the regions in vicinityof Sabalan Volcano and respectively Khoy-Maku
geothermal area.
-Preparation of detailed geological map of Khoyregion.
-Geophysical sampling by aeromagnetic and gravity
method in (Sabalan geothermal region ).
-Drilling 7 wells in Khoy and Sabalan region, are themain activities that have carried out by CRERA.
-Working on industrial cold storage houses projectusing Khoy geothermal energy resources,
Carbon dioxide production both liquid and dry ice
and also electricity production are among the future
projects of CRERA.

chemical geothermometry of hot springs, thegeothermal resource at KHOY is probably low gradewith reservoir temp. of only 90-120 centigrade andat most 145 ﾟC(Delfin, et al., 1998).
2.2. Mt. sabalan
In early 1998, the Iran ministry of energy engaged
Kingston Morrison Ltd, New Zealand to assist
CRERA with detailed surface exploration of thegreater Mt. Sabalan area, including the Saraeinprospect. Over the following year a comprehensive
program was completed consisting of photo and field
geology, geochemistry sampling and analysis, anintegrated DC/TEM/MT
Resistivity survey (comprised of 212 stations)conducted over an area of 860 km2 (Bromley, et al.,2000) and hydrogeological modeling (Sahabi, et al.,
1999; Bogie, et al., 2000). These surveys identified
five resistivity anomalies associated with ring fracture
intrusives around the periphery of the Sabalancaldera complex, where the Meshkin Shahr prospect
on its northwest flanks shows the most promise forfavorable geothermal conditions.

Recently increasing interest to attract foreigntechnical and investment have activated process fortwo geothermal field as can be regarded following indetails:
In 1997 CRERA contracted PNOC-EDC, Philippines
to undertake an exploration study of the KHOY
region.
An exploration team composed of CRERA andPNOC-EDC personnel completed a programof detailed geological, hydrogeochemical andgeophysical surveys at the Qutur Valley in the KHOY
region.

Sinclair Knight Merz is continuing to assist CRERA
throughout the second phase of work, providing
technical support and advice on drilling engineering,well site geology and petrography, well testing,resource assessment and modeling, and engineering
feasibility studies.

Fig. 3 Meshkin Shahr geothermal field map.
Fig .4 Geological map of N-NW of Iran.
2.1. KHOY- MAKU
The study covered an area of about 100km 2
where the most hydrothermal features are found.
From the results of this work it was concluded
that despitprevious indications of high temp. from

2.3. Mt. saraein
Information from geological and geochemical
investigation conducted at saraein in 1996 has been
usefully enhanced by data from the Sabalan DC/26GENERAL REPORT ON GEOTHERMAL AND RELATED FIELDS IN IRAN

TEM/MT survey.it is now thought that the numerous
hot spring at Saraein result from a lateral outflow ofcooling geothermal fluids from the southern sectorof the Mt.Sabalan caldera complex.The Saraein
geothermal resource has good potential for direct
utilization in the form of heating and industrial uses
but such developments would have to be carefullybalanced against substantial existing uses for bathing,which is the centerpiece of a large local tourism
industry.

and geothermal resources development is growing
strongly, as a way to offset some of the very highreliance of Iran`s internal and export economics on
fossil fuels.
Provided that suitable geothermal resources canbe located and developed, geothermal resources
have an assured future position in the energy sectorof Iran even though it is not least cost means for
power generation and finally the immediate futureof geothermal energy development in Iran is focusedon assessing the suitability of the resources so far
identified for either electrical power generation and/orindustrial use.
Regarding to above mentioned subjects it canbe concluded that despite of suitable geologicalconditions and presence of many potential for
geothermal energy productivity, due to lacking of high- tech. instruments in the field of drilling, reservoir
engineering and power plant construction Iran is
located at the earlier steps of this technique.

Fig. 5 Hydrogeological model in Sabalan region

3. THE FUTURE OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN
IRAN

overall Iran shows encouraging indications forhaving several potentially high grade geothermal
prospects that may prove suitable for electrical power
generation, and a number of lower grade prospects
that appear suitable for direct industrial or urban uses.
However geothermal energy development in Iran facessome stiff copetition.
Fig. 6 Electrical resistivity anomaly map for Sabalan
region based on MT data assessment.

Iran has huge reseves of low-cost fossil fules, as thesecond largest producer of Oil in OPEC, Iran holds
nine percent and 15 percent of the world`s oil and gas
reserves, respectively.

4. GEOTHERMAL & ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY &GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF IRAN (GSI)

The country`s national power grid is large, with29000 megawatts of capacity of which 95% comesfrom fossil-fuel generation.A further 12000(MW)Of capacity is planned over the 10 next years, withfurther expansion to an anticipated total of 90000 MW
by 2020.
Against this backdrop, geothermal energy will be hardpressed to accieve a significant capacity share of Iran`soverall electricity production mix.Nonetheless,theiranian government`s interest in renewable energy

GSI has been responsible for basic data preparation
to caring out all of the technologies that need togeological information such as geothermal energy
productivity, since its establishment on 1959.
Iran is located on the world volcano-seismic belt andbecause this plateau is affected by several orogenic
phases during geological times so there are many
indices of hot spring and also a lot of semi and nonactive volcanoes.
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FARSHAD LAVIZEH

Preparation geological maps in different scales andaccomplishing the systematic exploration research
are the main duties of GSI but beside of them giving
expertise services in some of the geosciences fields
are other parts of the GSI activities.

able to produce energy from these resources yet.
Furthermore Iranian government has shown strong
interesting in attraction of foreign investment in lastyears therefore regarding to good trade relationshipbetween Iran and Japan there are many opportunities
for Japanese companies to invest in geothermal field
and transform of technology.

Nowadays, among the other parts of the world GSI
is trying to focus on environmental matters among
main duties, so establishment of environmental
geology department as a new branching consistingof different expertise manpower (geochemist,geotechnicians, chemical engineers, marine geologist)
has accomplished in considering of new policies inGSI.

Anyway, due to economic, environmental and newpolicies reasons it seems that energy production fromgeothermal fields in near future is inevitable so it ishoped that exploration drilling at Mt.Sabalan over the
next months will lead directly to a commitment todevelop the first geothermal power plant in Iran.

Mineral activities means exploration and extracting
both have caused environmental pollution speciallyin northern Iran so just now investigation of origin
and concentration of heavy metal pollutants and alsohazardous waste disposal management are main dutiesof this new group.

REFERENCES

ENEL (1980), Geothermal Power Development
Studies in Iran, General report on Damavand zone,
report to the ministry of energy of Iran.

Since energy productivity from geothermal resources
should be done with regarding to environmental laws
so GSI as a pioneer for doing environmental geology
projects will be involved in geothermal fields in near
future however GSI has not been responsible directlyfor geothermal energy productivity, so far.

ENEL (1982), Geothermal Power Development
Studies in Iran, General report on Khoy-Maku zone,
report to the ministry of energy of Iran.
Sahabi, F. (1999), Sabalan volcanic complex withspecial references to the hydrothermal resources in
Meshkin shahr area, NW Iran, Geosciences journal,
no.31-32.

5. CONCLUSIONS

Regarding to the increasing rate of urban dwellers andalso regarding to the new policies of the government
for replacement resources of domestic energy
consumption Iran has to utilize renewable energy innear future for compensate of energy demand and also
for saving fossil fuels to export, because majority of
our incomes comes from crude oil export.

Noorollahi,Y., Fotouh, M., Barnett, P. (2000),
Geothermal Energy in Iran, GRC Bulletin.

On the other hand environmental agreements force
all the countries to use clean energy productivity andpreventing of environmental pollution by modifying
the old technologies to new environmental soundtechnologies so, despite a lot of suitable resources forgeothermal energy productivity, initial basic data andalso many expertise manpower and organizations, due
to lacking of high-tech. instruments Iran has not beenLavizeh, F. (2000), Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) for mineral projects, Geological Survey of Iraninternal report

Lavizeh, F. (2000), Environmental Management
Systems (ISO 14000), An introduction about essentials
and requirements, Geological Survey of Iran internal
ReportLavizeh, F. Ghahremani, MR. (2001), Reports onheavy metals pollution in Three Rivers, northern Iran,
Geological Survey of Iran.

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