The Northwest Geysers EGS Demonstration Project, California

An Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) Demonstration Project is currently underway in the Northwest Geysers. The project goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of stimulating a deep high-temperature reservoir (HTR) (up to 400 °C, 750 °F). Two previously abandoned wells, Prati State 31 (PS-31) and Prati 32 (P-32), were reopened and deepened to be used as an injection and production doublet to stimulate the HTR. The deepened portions of both wells have conductive temperature gradients of 10 °F/100 ft (182 °C/km), produce connate native fluids and magmatic gas, and the rocks were isotopically unexchanged by meteoric water. The ambient temperature meteoric water injected into these hot dry rocks has evidently created a permeability volume of several cubic kilometers as determined by seismic monitoring. Preliminary isotopic analyses of the injected and produced water indicate that 50-75% of the steam from the created EGS reservoir is injection-derived.