Geothermal Potential of Jamaica

- Status of Development
Suresh Bhalai
MINES AND GEOLOGY DIVISION Ministry of Energy and Mining Hope Gardens, Kingston 6

OUTLINE

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY? Geothermal Resource vs Conventional Power Resources Current Production Methods JAMAICA - GEOTHERMAL ENVIRONMENT Geology Status of geothermal development Exploration guides
Further exploration Known areas

Exploitation technique Some considerations benefits and barriers

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?
Geothermal: geo = earth; thermal = heat
heat from the earth

Earth abounds in thermal energy. Heat generated from breakdown of naturally occurring radioactive materials.

Heat is present everywhere beneath the surface.

Heat rises to the surface and escapes to the atmosphere. Renewable OR Sustainable?

????

Geothermal environments:
High- and moderate-temperature rocks with considerable available water and (or) steam are the only geothermal environments that can currently be developed to generate electricity.

Geothermal Energy
as a

Resource

Geothermal Energy as a Mineral Resource

SIMILARITIES
Occur everywhere, Anomalous concentrations are favourable, Have measurable GRADE and SIZE Economic deposits those at depths accessible by current extraction technology while remaining cost efficient. 80C 180C

LOW GRADE

MEDIUM GRADE

HIGH GRADE

Geothermal Energy as a Mineral Resource

CHARACTERISTICS
Extractive process

MINERAL RESOURCES
digging, crushing and processing of large quantities of earth material
mine shafts, tunnels, pits and spoil heaps

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Liquid (brought to surface by hot springs or wells)
Drilled wells

Extractive method

Economic characteristics

Size and/or grade determines profitability and efficiency of operation

Usable over a very wide spectrum of temperature and volume

Geothermal Energy vs Conventional Power Resources

Environmentally benign low emission

Hot water and steam plant: <1% NOx, ~1%SO2, 5% CO2 of gases from coal-fired plants.

Land area requirements varies with local reservoir conditions

Well-field for 100 Mw may require 200 2,000 ha. Visual and noise impact and risks of production-related accidents similar to other power development.

Waste disposal formerly disposed of in ponds and rivers

Injected back into subsurface.

Recreational features
Subsurface depletion can affect the rate of flow and vigor of natural features.

Geothermal Energy vs Conventional Power Resources

CO2 EMISSIONS

Similar contrasts for the emission of sulphurous gases

Geothermal Energy vs Conventional Power Resources

RELIABILITY
Once online geothermal power plants are very reliable
Off-line ~5% (avg.) of the time.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Geothermal energy is an environmentally-friendly option.

Current Production Methods

Hot Water Hydrothermal System

Vapour-dominated Hydrothermal System

Moderate Temperature Hydrothermal System

STATUS OF GEOTHERMAL DEVELOPMENT IN JAMAICA

HISTORY/ STATUS OF DEVELOPMENT
Late 1600s: Bath, St. Thomas, Mid-1700s: Milk River Bath 1950s Geological Survey Department 1980s:
Preliminary examinations OLADE Latin American Energy Organization, 1982 Ittracon 22 Springs in tourist areas Occidental Geothermal Inc. Blue Mountain area Geological Survey Division

OLADE Summary report available.

Jamaican Geology

JAMAICAN GEOLOGY
JAMAICA - >65 million years ago

JAMAICA - TODAY

JAMAICA - STRUCTURE

Exploration Guides

EXPLORATION GUIDES

EXPLORATION GUIDES

Position on the Caribbean Plate = low moderate resources

EXPLORATION GUIDES
Hot/ warm springs

Potentially water-bearing rocks and structures

GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Subsurface temperature anomalies

Seismic zones

EXPLORATION GUIDES
POTENTIAL AREAS:
Faulted rocks older than the White Limestone,

White Limestone

Boundary between different older rocks, especially intrusive igneous rocks.

Shale

Yellow Limestone Sandstone

Dacite

Conglomerate

Granodiorite

Andesite

Marble

Serpentinite

# 1

NAME Guava River Spring Bath Spring

TEMP C 53 54

FLOW litres/sec 0.3 0.3

EXPLORATION GUIDES

3
4 5 6 7 8

Mt. Felix Spring

Garbrand Hall Spring Rockfort Spring Ferry Hill Spring Salt River Spring Milk River Springs

31
29 30 25 33 38

0.3
1.5 <50 >50 100 200 40 50

9
10

Black River Spring

Windsor Spring Yankee River Spring Buxton Spring

29
36 26 29

45 50
0.5 0.5 1.2

10

11 12

12 11

2
3
6

1
1 2 3

5
8 7

EXPLORATION GUIDES
# NAME TEMP C FLOW litres/sec

LIMITATION: Low possibility of abnormally high heat flow, Little information on geothermal gradients, Low flow rates, Contamination by seawater

1
2 3 4 5 6 7

Guava River Spring

Bath Spring Mt. Felix Spring Garbrand Hall Spring Rockfort Spring Ferry Hill Spring Salt River Spring

53
54 31 29 30 25 33

0.3
0.3 0.3 1.5 <50 >50 100 200

8
9 10 11 12

Milk River Springs

Black River Spring Windsor Spring Yankee River Spring Buxton Spring

38
29 36 26 29

40 50
45 50 0.5 0.5 1.2

EXPLORATION TECHNIQUE

Binary systems would be most suitable

Waterbearing rocks and structures

Some Considerations

SOME CONSIDERATIONS
EXPLORATION PROGRAM:
Joint Government-Private coupled program,
Successful in the USA, Local knowledge combined with experience, Reduces financial and discovery risks associated with exploration, Research direction: develop techniques and strategies to identify hidden systems at greater depths.

SOME CONSIDERATIONS

CHALLENGES: Are our resources within economically drillable depths? What is the state of the subsurface energy system?

REFERENCES
Duffield, W. A. and Sass, J. H., 2003, Geothermal Energy Clean Power from the Earths Heat. U. S. Geological Survey, Virginia, Circular 1249, 36pp. Hylton, H. A., 1987, Mineral Springs of Jamaica. Geological Survey Division, Kingston Bulletin No. II, 69pp.

Jamaica Public Service, 2007, JPS An Overview. JPS, Kingston, unpublished report, 14pp.
Latin American Energy Organization, 1982, Geothermal Resource Exploration, Reconnaissance, Review and Utilisation Report. Geological Survey Division, Kingston, unpublished report, 169pp.