Geothermal Exploration & Development
Consultant/Trainer: Jurgen Grotsch
The Petrogenium (in collaboration with EPTS) Geothermal Exploration & Development course: participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of geothermal energy’s role in the global energy transition and net-zero goals, learning how this sustainable resource can enhance energy security and heat supply decarbonization. The course provides insights into geological settings suitable for geothermal development, from volcanic to sedimentary basins, and introduces subsurface workflows such as Play-Based Geothermal Exploration (PBGE) and Geothermal Field Development Planning (GFDP).
Participants
This course has been designed for geoscientists, well engineers, reservoir engineers, production technologists and other energy professionals who are working on renewable energy developments as well as other stakeholders involved in geothermal projects. The course is recommended for staff from the energy and service industry as well as for employees in the public sector involved in or planning to work on geothermal projects, including decision makers. Particularly staff from smaller companies, new ventures or city councils are encouraged to attend this offering with the objective to avoid common pitfalls and the triggering of technical or non-technical risks.
Learning Objectives
This course will address questions about why a major move in the energy industry towards geothermal developments is required to achieve sustainability goals and net-zero emissions. The benefits, opportunities, but also challenges and risks of geothermal exploration and development projects will be presented and discussed. In addition, the need for new structured workflows for geothermal exploration and development projects will be highlighted and handrails for such workflows will be provided based on know-how as developed in the hydrocarbon industry. Aim is to support expediting the journey towards sustainable and decentralized new energy solutions and at the same time prep.
- Provide introduction to geothermal heat as a renewable energy resource
- Present global overview of current geothermal energy production capacity
- Illustrate additional potential and highlight which countries are leading and why
- Present main sources and reservoirs of geothermal energy
- Discuss potential for power vs heat generation
- Highlight differences between fracture and matrix geothermal
- Showcase importance of matrix porosity and permeability
- Understand workflow of exploration (Play-Based Geothermal Exploration – PBGE)
- Summarise subsurface and surface technologies
- Present leading-edge projects
- Introduce basics of geothermal economics
- Compare with other energy developments
- Highlight potential of additional benefits
- Provide outlook for decades ahead
- Discuss main challenges and technical risks
- Address non-technical risks
5 DAY Course
Day 1 – Fundamentals of geothermal energy
Day 2 – Play-based Exploration for geothermal energy (PBGE)
Day 3 – Development of geothermal energy projects (GFDP)
Day 4 – Benefits of geothermal energy projects
Day 5 – Common pitfalls and risks in geothermal projects
Day 6 – Onsite Workshop (optional, on-site only)
- Facilitated workshop following the Opportunity Realisation Framework and Standards
- Interactive workshop tailored to organizational and project needs
- Project grounding for all involved stakeholders
- Common development of project options and way forward.
Programme
5 DAY Course
Day 1 – Fundamentals of geothermal energy
Day 2 – Play-based Exploration for geothermal energy (PBGE)
Day 3 – Development of geothermal energy projects (GFDP)
Day 4 – Benefits of geothermal energy projects
Day 5 – Common pitfalls and risks in geothermal projects
Day 6 – Onsite Workshop (optional, on-site only)
- Facilitated workshop following the Opportunity Realisation Framework and Standards
- Interactive workshop tailored to organizational and project needs
- Project grounding for all involved stakeholders
- Common development of project options and way forward.