The Geothermal Resources of Kamchatka and the Immediate Prospects of their Extraction

Abstract

The probable geothermal reserves of Kamchatka are sufficient to produce 3900 MW of electrical energy. Analogous reserves for heat production are estimated as 1350 MW_T (thermal units). The TOUGH2 thermohydrodynamic simulation of extraction for the identified productive geothermal reservoirs with established permeability–capacity and energy properties allows us to predict the following: (1) a possible increase in electrical power production based on the already available areas in the Mutnovsky field to reach up to 105 MW and up to 11 MW in the Pauzhetka field using binary technologies; (2) a possible increase in the production of thermal energy from the Paratunka field using submersible pumps to reach up to 216 MW_T, which can supply sufficient heat to the centralized heat systems in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.