Authors: R. Nye, A. D. Schiuma, M. Yan, C. Mejia, T. Popadynets, Y. Demchuk, S. Iuras
Abstract
According to the new energy strategy in Ukraine, the production of electricity from alternative sources should increase to 25-30% till 2030 and geothermal energy should make up 2% of the total energy supply. The expected installed capacity of geothermal energy for heating & cooling and electricity generation in 2030 is 50 ktoe (or 11630MWh) and 20 MW accordingly. This project introduces an innovative use of technology and a novel business model for clean power generation through a collaboration between Ukraine, the US and the UK. The project is to screen and evaluate abandoned deep Oil & Gas and hydrothermal wells for repurposing to geothermal wells for power generation and/or heat production. This contributes to the energy demand of Ukrainians and to overcome the energy crisis. The project aimed to support Ukraine to build a new energy model for post-war Ukraine, accelerate decarbonization, and promote early-stage development, strategy planning, capacity building, networking and awareness of geothermal energy applications. The project evaluates untapped geothermal potential from existing wells in the highly promising western part of Ukraine. An innovative, integrated cloud-based workflow, tailored to Ukraine, aimed at evaluating the cost-effectiveness of adopting geothermal production in low to medium enthalpy systems by repurposing the wells, has been implemented. The workflow introduces an automated and intrinsically secure decision-making process to convert mature wells into geothermal wells, enabling both operational and financial assessment of the conversion process. Tailoring the geothermal solution to Ukraine has involved considering its unique geographical, economic, and political factors. Priorities included increasing energy efficiency, diversifying energy sources, and promoting renewable energy. The results of this feasibility study will now assist operating companies explore Ukraine for geothermal heat and power generation, in particular when doing a full ESG and cost-based analysis. While the results and potential show a promising outcome, potential challenges such as well integrity are still to be investigated further. Local energy companies in the west of Ukraine, who are looking to stabilize the grid – will be the off-takers of such a development in the future. The proposed workflow focuses on the reliability and transparency of fully automated technical processes for the geological, hydrodynamic, and mechanical configuration of the production system to ensure the financial success of the conversion projects, in terms of heat production potential and cost of development. The components are evaluated using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that reduce bias in the decision-making process and incorporate a blockchain framework to ensure transparency of technical-related processes and tasks, driving the financial success of the conversion project.