New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

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A potential for 1.0+ GWe geothermal base power exists for a 20,000+ acre site west of Interstate 25 (I-25) between Belen and Bernardo in the southern Albuquerque basin of the Rio Grande rift (RGR) under NATD Holdings ownership. The play fairway is a continental rift with a conductive geotherm and at least four vertically-stacked sedimentary targets for development as discrete EGS reservoirs with horizontal drilling and hydrofracturing. Reported heat flow for the area ranges from 82 and 110 mW/m² (Reiter and others, 1986). A precise stand-alone equilibrium temperature log in NAT#1 shows 375 ^oF (190 ^oC) at 12,160 ft (3,706 m) and 93 days after well completion (Figure 1). Target temperatures are estimated using nominal estimated thermal conductivity for subsurface lithology and a heat flow of 100 mW/m² in the immediate vicinity of the exploratory well, NAT#1. Preliminary techno-economic analysis suggests levelized cost of energy (LCOE) at $60 to $90 per MW-hr when applying recent drilling rates and learning curves. Fluid production rates between 1,000 and 1,500 gpm (63 L/s and 100 L/s) are estimated by using a Gringarten model with sufficient EGS fracture volumes to sustain nominal production for 30 years. NATD Holdings is traversed by major high-voltage transmission lines up to 500 kV; and the minerals and surface ownership is private which eliminates lengthy permitting issues and competitive lease sales. The NATD Holdings is adjacent a regional fiber-optic line, I-25, and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad.

References:

1. Reiter, M., Eggleston, B. E., Broadwell, B. R., and Minier, J., 1986, Estimates of terrestrial heat flow from deep petroleum tests along the Rio Grande rift in central and southern New Mexico: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 91, no. B6, p. 6225-6245.