Geothermal resources in the Asal Region, Republic of Djibouti: An update with emphasis on reservoir engineering studies

Three independent geothermal systems have been identified, so far, in the Asal region of the Republic of Djibouti (i.e. Gale le Goma, Fiale and South of Lake). Six deep wells have been drilled in the region, the first two in 1975 and the others in 1987–88. Well A2 was damaged and wells A4 and A5 encountered impermeable yet very hot (340–365 °C) rocks. Wells A1, A2, A3 and A6 produce highly saline (120 g/L TDS) fluids leading to mineral scaling. Well test data indicate that the reservoir might be producing from fractured and porous zones. The estimated permeability-thickness of the deep Gale le Goma reservoir is in the 3–9 darcy-meter range. Lumped-parameter modeling results indicate that well A3 should be operated at about 20 kg/s total flow rate and that injection should be considered to reduce pressure drawdown. The estimated power generation potential of well A3 is 2.5 MWe, and that of all Asal high-temperature hydrothermal systems is between 115 and 329 MWe for a 25-year exploitation period.