Dec 14 2010
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in Oregon is currently in the process of restructuring its licensing procedures to allow exploration of geothermal wells. A number of companies wanted to avail stimulus money and explore the huge geothermal resources of the state.
The current practice of providing general permits does not cover activities such as injecting fluids into the well to assess the capability of the geothermal reservoir during geothermal exploration. It requires special permits from the government costing around $10,000 per well and the high costs fail to enthuse the exploring companies.
To overcome the present stalemate in geothermal exploration DEQ is suggesting a 10 year general permit, to allow the exploring geothermal companies to inject water in the wells during the tests and dispose off the water later. The proposal currently under circulation for receiving comments will be approved to become a law next year. The proposed law requires the geothermal companies to take a single permit by paying an application fee of $481 and $1,300 towards the injection costs for each well the company plans to explore. The streamlined process will make the application and permit process quicker and simpler. During the current year the state has got applications for three bigger sized geothermal projects, which wanted to utilize the steam and hot water from the heated rocks from deep portions of the earth to run turbines kept over-ground to generate electric power. The state is said to have the potential to produce over 2,600 MW clean green power from geothermal resources.
According to Bill Mason, Oregon DEQ Eugene office’s groundwater hydrologist, the water utilized during the geothermal exploration is often loaded with chemicals and minerals that can harm the public needs to be disposed properly. He added that the proposed general permit for exploration will have a clause for proper re-injection of such water and its safe disposal.