UNFC-2009 AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE CLASSIFICATION

Abstract

UNFC-2009 is the United Nations Framework Classification (2009 version) and provides a system for classification of resources. It has been developed under UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe), and covers mineral and petroleum resources. It has been decided to extend the coverage to renewable energy resources. As part of this process, UNECE and IGA have agreed that IGA develop and maintain geothermal specifications. A Working Group of 12 has been appointed, two of whom are the authors of this paper.
The UNFC-2009 framework is significantly different from the resource estimates familiar in geothermal, which have a simple grading relating to how reliably the resource is defined: proven/probable/possible and a secondary category as either resource or reserve that reflects modifying factors relating to the economic and social feasibility of development. A UNFC estimate is allocated a grade along 3 axes, so that the system allows much greater (more “granular”) precision in the definition of the status of a resource. The three axes, EFG, roughly correspond to economic/social, technical feasibility, and confidence in knowledge of the resource. A UNFC estimate is also project based, meaning that it relates to a proposed or existing development (or just a development concept), and is not simply used for estimating energy that may theoretically be available for identified resources, meaning that specifying how the energy is to be extracted from the reservoir forms an integral part of estimating energy potential.
The IGA’s support for the UNFC-2009 geothermal classification, the wider acceptance and use of UNFC-2009 for other energy sources along with its more robust structure mean that it will most probably replace other national based standards for geothermal resource reporting once published.
Development of the geothermal specifications is however, a slow process due to the need to achieve consensus among a group with widely differing background, and the formalities of UN processes. This paper reviews the UNFC-2009 classification and the present state of geothermal specification development.