Technical challenges in geothermal development and production

Summary Geothermal energy has the potential to play an increasingly important role in the sustainable energy mix. There are, however, inherent technical challenges that need to be understood and overcome to de- risk geothermal development and production and to help accelerate commercial uptake. Previous geothermal projects provide valuable lessons learned for future development, and the oil and gas industry can offer further insights on shared difficulties. The long history of geothermal exploration and production contains abundant examples of problems of corrosion and scale, and when first encountered these often had a serious impact on project economics. Today, a range of engineering solutions have been established for these problems and can be designed into a new project from the outset. Looking forward, the geothermal fluids in sedimentary basins tend to be more benign than those in the historical volcanic-associated systems and petroleum industry experience is relevant to the types of problem and their mitigation. This paper aims to give a holistic overview of different technical challenges faced by geothermal projects globally, and to comment on areas of overlap with the petroleum industry.