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A serious disadvantage of geothermal energy

13.06.2019

EGS (Enhanced geothermal system) hydraulic stimulation technology, which is similar in many ways to hydraulic fracturing technology used in oil and gas production, increases the risk of "artificial earthquakes". This conclusion was reached by a group of seismologists from the Korean Geological Society.

Scientists analyzed the circumstances of the 5,5 magnitude earthquake that occurred on November 15, 2017 in Pohang, Republic of Korea. As a result of this event, 135 people suffered and about 1700 lost their homes. It turned out that the earthquake was triggered by the operation of a geothermal station.

Prior to the Pohang event, it was believed that the power of induced earthquakes could be kept under control by maintaining the volume, pressure and rate of injection of fluid into cracks in the earth's crust at a certain level, as well as by controlling the condition of the rocks at the exit points of fluid from injection wells.

After conducting surveys, it turned out that this so-called "volume hypothesis" does not work, and the main risk factor for induced earthquakes is not the injection volume, but the tectonic state of the faults located in the project area.

It is necessary to control not so much the power of individual seismic events as their location. The more hypocenters (the central point where the rock movement begins, the core of the earthquake source) of induced earthquakes lie in the zone of a particular fault, the higher the probability that a large displacement will occur along the plane of this fault.

The findings of the study can be extended to other areas of activity - hydrocarbon production associated with hydraulic fracturing; re-injection of associated waters generated during oil and gas production; projects for pumping sewage and liquid production waste into the bowels.

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