deep geothermy
Geothermal project Trias Westland ready for first drilling
The delivery and construction of the drilling tower for the Trias Westland geothermal project has been completed. The parts of the KCA Deutag drilling tower arrived at the construction site on Lange Broekweg in Naaldwijk in containers brought here over the course of the past few weeks on exceptional transports. The first hole will be drilled on Monday, 6 November.
The KCA Deutag rig is a complex piece of equipment, measuring approximately 52 metres in height and capable of lifting an auger rod weighing approximately 350 tons. With a capacity of 1500 HP, the rig can reach a depth of up to 5,000 metres.
Drilling tower
Last week, the 43-metre-high mast of the drilling tower arrived at Lange Broekweg in Naaldwijk, thus enabling the tower to reach its highest point yet, at 52 metres above ground. The drilling tower, supplied by the KCA Deutag drilling and engineering firm, had been used in the gas and oil industry before and was shipped from Turkey to the Netherlands.
Start of the drilling
On Friday, 3 November the chisel will be ‘blessed’, and on Monday, 6 November the first hole will be drilled. The conductors, 125 metres in depth, were installed last June. The first well test is expected to take place in January 2018. Director Marco van Soerland: ‘Six years after signing the letter of intent, we can finally start drilling. This is a special day for all the growers involved, HVC, Capturam, Royal FloraHolland, the municipality and the project team. Of course, we are all looking forward to the well test in January. No matter what the outcome: through this project we are making giant strides in energy transition in the province of Zuid-Holland, due to the knowledge we are acquiring about heat in the deep layers of the earth and by launching such an exceptional geothermal project.’
In four sections to a depth of 4,560 metres
On Monday, the first hole will be drilled, also referred to as ‘spud’ in the oil and gas industry. This is a 125-metre hole located precisely where the protective layer for the water-bearing layers was installed last June. After this relatively shallow hole has been drilled, the first section of the deep drill will follow. During the next 7 to 9 days to come, a hole 1,298 metres deep and with a diameter of approximately 60 centimetres will be drilled. During this process it is essential that the drill grit is brought to the surface. A sample will be taken every 10 m of the mud and grit that is extracted by the drill, as this will inform the drilling crew of which layer of the earth and at what depth the drill bit is situated. Once the full depth of Section 1 has been reached, the pipe is inserted and cement is pressed between the borehole and the pipe to reinforce the hole. Section 1 will be completed after approximately 2 weeks. The next step is Section 2, with a diameter of about 43 centimetres and a depth of up to 2,559 metres. Section 3 is a borehole with a diameter of about 30 centimetres and that will go down as far as 4,204 metres. Section 4 drills through to the Trias layer, at a depth of 4,560 metres. This last hole is not cemented in connection with the heat that will be extracted.
Trias Westland
The Trias Westland test well is a unique geothermal project. Never before has drilling taken place to a depth of 4 km with a view to extracting geothermal heat in the Netherlands. Trias Westland B.V was founded by Royal FloraHolland, HVC and Capturam to investigate the extraction of geothermal heat for economic purposes at this depth. The goal is to find out if extracting geothermal heat is economically viable at a depth of 4 km, with a view to making this heat available to greenhouse horticulture companies in the Westland region.
Source: Trias Westland. Photos: Mario Bentvelsen.
Related
Over thirty growers are interested in geothermal energy from a depth of 4 km
KP Holland is one of the thirty growers who have signed an agreement to participate in the geothermal project Trias Westland. If the drilling is successful, all the participating growers will get a connection to the geothermal energy coming from the Triassic layer, at a depth of 4 kilometres. This geothermal project for horticulture will be unique in the world.
In the past months, 65 companies have expressed interest and thirty growers have already committed themselves to this sustainable initiative. The total power for which the letters of intent were signed currently amounts to about 60 MW. One of the companies is KP Holland, a horticultural business in Westland that sees sustainability as one of its core values. A sustainable energy supply for the family business is therefore a logical step. KP Holland is a global supplier of young and flowering plants of Kalanchoe, Spathiphyllum and Curcuma.
According to Roy van der Knaap, manager of energy and technology, geothermal energy is one of the few alternatives to fossil fuels. The stock of fossil fuels is limited, it is bad for the climate and with the current global developments the delivery can sometimes be uncertain. "The project Trias Westland fits well with our company and philosophy. We embraced it wholeheartedly and full of enthusiasm."
Ceiling price
The participants will be closely involved in the development of the project and will become co-owner without having to invest themselves. The price that is paid by the participants is based on actual costs, including a reasonable compensation for the risk capital of the founders of the project. The fact that there is a 'ceiling price' offers more security for the participants.
According to the director of Trias Westland, Marco van Soerland, not all growers who have shown interest have signed the actual agreement. "Those who have not signed, may not be able to because they are in between two other geothermal energy initiatives and are forced to wait. But there was a lot of interest in the project and there still is now. "Van Soerland expects that the negotiations with all the parties will be finished in April.
New participants are still welcome, but speed is of the essence. "Applications can continue, but we will start shortly with the development of the different scenarios and therefore it is necessary that we know exactly who wants to join." Only after the exploratory drilling it will be clear how much heat will become available.
Combined drilling
In order to limit the (financial) risks of the exploratory drilling, a combined drilling is done. This means that first they will drill to the Lower Cretaceous-layer at a depth of 2 to 3 km. After examination of this layer they will continue to drill to the Triassic layer at a depth of 4 km. If the Triassic layer is unexpectedly found to be unsuitable for the extraction of geothermal energy, a Lower Cretaceous doublet will be realised. In which case, the purpose of the exploratory drilling - determining the suitability of the Triassic layer – is achieved, costs are reduced and a profitable Lower Cretaceous project will be realised.
If the Triassic layer is suitable, 30 to 50 growers can be connected to the geothermal heat source. If that is not the case, a Lower Cretaceous project will be realized and approximately 20 to 30 growers could make use of geothermal energy. In both scenarios, the most economical connections are realised first. Growers who are closest to the drilling site and whose neighbours have also joined the project have the best chances.
Source: Trias Westland. Photo: Mario Bentvelsen.
Belgian greenhouse horticulturists study Dutch geothermal wells
A delegation from a greenhouse horticulture community in the Belgian city of Kempen and representatives several government agencies visited a geothermal well and a cluster of horticulture firms in the Dutch province of IJsselmuiden. The Belgian representatives examined the feasibility of this source of energy in their own country.
Greenhouse horticulture is an important economic sector not only in the municipalities of Hoogstraten, Rijkevorsel and Merksplas, but also in the province of Antwerp, and one in which sustainability will remain a key issue in the next few years to come. A shared interest in sustainability is one of the reasons why these municipalities, together with the Flemish government, the Province of Limburg and various industry associations are looking into alternative sources of energy for heating their greenhouses. In the Dutch municipality of IJsselmuiden, located in the ‘Koekoekspolder’ greenhouse horticulture area, a deep geothermal well provides five greenhouse horticulturists with geothermal heat. The geothermal heat is extracted at a depth of approximately 1900 metres.
Great enthusiasm
Everyone present was given extensive information about the project. Aside from the technical aspects, which could also be applied to projects in Antwerp, several other critical success factors were extensively discussed. These included the risks associated with the realisation of the project, the complex financing issues and the current price of natural gas.
The Flemish delegation was informed that the project owes its success to the outstanding collaboration between the various stakeholders, the execution of a long-term vision on sustainable energy and the perseverance exhibited by the horticulturists and the project leader. The visit was received with great enthusiasm from the Flemish guests. They are all assured that they will be able to realise similar projects through collaborative efforts within the greenhouse horticulture industry in the province of Antwerp.
Economic importance
‘Not only is greenhouse horticulture of tremendous economic importance to the province of Antwerp, sustainability is also a key priority on our agenda,’ says Ludwig Caluwé, the Provincial Executive member for economic affairs. He joined the delegation of greenhouse horticulture municipalities on their visit to the geothermal well site, which enabled them to gain a clear insight into how sustainability and greenhouse horticulture can be aligned. Greenhouse horticulture and geothermal energy can support one another through the realisation of an energy cluster in a greenhouse horticulture area.
Source: press release. Photo: koekoekspolder.nl