The full report, “Prospectivity for geothermal power in the Northern Territory” written by Graeme Beardsmore and Gemma Mitjanas, as well as the accompanying Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, can be accessed at the respective GEMIS page.
The study seeks to determine the prospectivity for geothermal power generation using current and emerging technologies related to three broad strategies for producing geothermal energy :
Hot sedimentary aquifers (HSA)
Engineered geothermal systems (EGS)
Advanced geothermal systems (AGS)
Prospectivity, in the context of the report, refers to the likelihood that geologic conditions at any given location and depth would support geothermal power generation. The assessment focuses strictly on geological conditions – economic assessment and other factors for financial modeling were beyond the scope of the study.
The study generated prospectivity maps for HSA, EGS, and AGS, and for overburden rock strength. Evaluation of different strategies indicated significantly distributed prospective regions. However, the McArthur Basin stood out as a potential hosting location for all three of the considered strategies.
