Geothermal Pilot Project Coming to Western Pa.

A geothermal energy pilot project is coming to Western Pennsylvania after the federal government recently announced the state was selected to receive a $14 million grant.

The enhanced geothermal system (EGS) demonstration project will repurpose an existing CNX unconventional gas well in the Utica shale of Indiana County into a geothermal well that will produce electrical power for the grid and heat for nearby homes and businesses.

“Geothermal systems could supply the clean energy needed for economic growth and long-term grid resilience for our communities. This is the type of ‘all-of-the-above’ energy solutions that Governor Shapiro has prioritized,” said Pa. Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley.

Most traditional geothermal projects are in Western states, where water is circulated deep within the earth and heated by the hot subsurface, then steam is used to spin a turbine that creates electricity. Enhanced geothermal systems have been gaining momentum as technology has improved and drilling techniques developed in the unconventional oil and gas industry have helped bring costs down.

“While underground heat exists everywhere, many locations lack adequate water or conditions that facilitate fluid flow necessary to recover that heat energy. In those cases, EGS can be used to create a human-made underground reservoir to tap that heat for energy. Demonstration projects are vital to help expand knowledge and data about EGS reservoirs and how they function, and to understand EGS in a variety of geographic locations, geologic formations, and subsurface conditions,” a U.S. Department of Energy release explained.

By converting a horizontal shale gas well to geothermal, the pilot will assess optimal well orientations and placements, as well as test various techniques to create the fractures necessary for an enhanced geothermal system, the release indicates.

Numerous studies have suggested that applying hydraulic fracturing techniques developed by the gas industry to geothermal projects could open up more states, including Pennsylvania, to this energy source. The Center for Energy and the Built Environment recently contributed to a Project Innerspace report assessing the potential for geothermal in Pa.

The Department of Environmental Protection will be the lead agency on the pilot project in coordination with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Geological Survey. Other partners include Gradient Geothermal, Teverra, Lehigh University, Indaho National Laboratory, Seequent and CNX Green Ventures.

Three other EGS pilot demonstrations also received federal funding, all of them in western states.