Delivering Value to Geothermal Operators Through Innovative Engineering Design and Project Delivery

Abstract

Over the past 40 years, Jacobs has worked on more than 100 geothermal resources, over 3,000 MW of generation, in over 20 countries. The diverse nature of these projects has fostered highly innovative thinking with “whole-of-life” consideration.
This paper outlines a number of case studies showing beneficial outcomes achieved by identifying and quantifying potential opportunities for innovation which realise value, including monetary, schedule and safety benefits. This is split into two themes; excellence in engineering design leading to reductions in total installed cost (TIC) and total cost of ownership (TCO), and accelerated project delivery honed over decades of experience.
The first theme considers the reduction in cost achieved through innovation in design resulting in very high steam quality and purity. It can be demonstrated that power plant reliability is increased and this in turn reduces the TCO of the plant. Additionally, consideration of a pressure drop early in a project contributes towards a lower total cost.
The second theme considers strategies to fast track projects at various stages during project delivery to increase value. The surface exploration program for a greenfield geothermal resource typically comprises many stages to address development risk; these can represent a considerable portion of a project schedule. Significant value can be gained by combining exploration activities into a single integrated geoscience program to front end load the exploration program. Another example of fast tracking projects is through the use of Digital 3D models to improve stakeholder engagement and cohesion between design disciplines, and lead to a reduction in design changes during construction.