Company overview
KUTh1 Energy Limited was formed in 2005 to explore for sites in Tasmania suitable for Enhanced Geothermal power generation and the company is also looking in other states and overseas for geothermal resources.
Tasmania, in line with the rest of Australia, is forecast to need around 50% more power over the next quarter century. The state’s hydroelectric power generation has little opportunity for expansion and is, on occasions, constrained by drought. Some wind farms have been installed but these are weather dependent and not without environmental problems. A study of Tasmanian geology indicates that the state is very well placed to provide EGS generation.
Simplified representation of an Enhanced Geothermal System.
Why Geothermal Power Generation?
Geothermal energy refers to utilising water that has been heated underground either by volcanic activity (Conventional Geothermal Systems) or deep radiogenic sources (Enhanced Geothermal Systems). EGS is also known as enhanced geothermal power, engineered geothermal systems and hot dry/wet rock resources.
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) are the only option capable of providing additional sustainable, environmentally sound, base load supply. It emits no gases and has a very small footprint.
EGS is a relatively new concept whereby ambient temperature water is injected into high temperature granites at depth. Superheated water, returned to the surface via adjacent production wells, uses standard steam turbine technology to generate electricity. The spent fluids are used for re-injection.
Thus EGS will provide base load power from a closed system with zero emissions in an unobtrusive plant on a small footprint. Australia is at the forefront of EGS with a number of ASX listed companies actively working on the ‘standard’ concept or modifications of it.
1 Pronounced kooth and derived from elemental symbols K (potassium), U (uranium) and Th (thorium), the heat producing elements in hot granites.