Oilfield Application of Co-produced Fluid Geothermal Power in Colombia’s Llanos Orientales Basin

Summary A pilot of co-produced fluid geothermal power generation has been implemented by Parex Resources in the Llanos Orientales sedimentary basin, Colombia’s largest oil producing region. This project represents the first generation of geothermal power in Colombia and demonstrates the viability of geothermal power production alongside oil and gas production in this setting. The pilot makes use of modular Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology to convert the thermal energy from produced oilfield water to electrical power at temperatures below 100°C. Currently, the pilot generates 70kWe net of baseload, emissions-free power. Approximately 550 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year will be eliminated through the operation of this pilot. This work highlights the importance of geothermal power as an energy efficiency measure in actively producing oilfields. Several technical and economic advantages of co-produced fluid oilfield geothermal in active oilfields are discussed, in comparison to the conversion of abandoned oilfield assets for geothermal power production.