Nov 26 2010
Stephen Robertson, Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister of the Queensland government led by Anna Bligh, said that a new geothermal drilling program being performed by Gerald Spaulding Drillers, on behalf of the Geological Survey of Queensland and the Office of Clean Energy at Fraser Coast land, is anticipated to open up significant renewable energy source for the region and Queensland.
On explaining the drilling process he said, that the contractors have begun drilling of a single experimental opening at the site to gather data on geological formations and thermal conductivity at a depth of 320 meters. The drilled hole will be allowed to remain un-interfered for a period of 6 to 8 weeks to enable the temperatures inside the hole to get stabilized. To assess the viability of heat sources, a probe will be lowered in to the hole and will take the temperature interpretations at one meter interval throughout the depth of the hole. The collected geoscientific data will be utilized to recognize the formations of potential geothermal hot rocks that assist in power generation. To protect the nearby aquifers the data will be collected without resorting to use of hydraulic breaking or toxic chemicals.
He explained that most of the probable geothermal locations of Queensland remain far away from the city in far off locations that are not served with grid connectivity and the isolation from the city hubs increases spending on installing power infrastructures. He added that the government is looking forward to finding geothermal locations that are closer to the locations where the power need exists. He said that the government has targeted a total of 12 locations for the testing process and is looking forward to complete the drilling process by the middle of 2011 or in early 2012.