Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis (GPFA) is an exploration process adopted to geothermal, that integrates data of critical risk elements inherent to that specific geothermal play type. The key function of GPFA is to reduce risk and increase focus for improving exploration success rates. GPFA begins at the regional/basin scale, and progressively focuses in on the play scale. It then examines the critical risk element data to highlight which play areas have the highest likelihood of success (prospects). The outputs from the GPFA process are Common Risk Segment (CRS) & Composite Common Risk Segment (CCRS) Maps. CRS maps define areas that contain the same general Probability of Success (PoS) for each individual risk element based on the input data. Operator analyzed/ determined cutoff values or classes are then applied to each map with color assignments indicating high (red), medium (yellow) and low (green) risk areas for each element under consideration. Each individual CRS map is then composited into a single CCRS map. Publicly available data on hundreds of thousands of boreholes in Texas demonstrate excellent potential for geothermal electricity generation from either current or abandoned oil and gas wells. Near-surface geothermal resources, at depths of 3 km (9,842 ft) or less, are generally less than 150°C (302°F) in Texas. Economically feasible electricity generation is possible with available subsurface temperature conditions within reasonable depths—generally greater than 120°C (248°F) within 4 km (13,123 ft) – given the prolific oil and gas well drilling. Extensive data exists to depths as much as 8 km (26,246 ft), indicating temperatures in excess of 300°C (572°F). Successful geothermal reservoir exploration, characterization, and development requires a thorough understanding of the physical properties of reservoir rocks and their associated fracture systems. Of particular importance is the reduction of uncertainty in the exploration phase. Geothermal resources have been recognized for some time as a possible significant source of energy but to date have seen marginal increases in their development and application. Much of this is attributed to the substantial upfront costs associated with geothermal projects coupled with a lack of reservoir characterization. While the resource potential is recognized, investors have been hesitant to proceed with these high risk, long return on investment (ROI) scenarios. GPFA will provide significant value in geothermal exploration by: · Reducing Exploration Risk · Increasing % Probability of Success (PoS) · Increasing the Return on Investment (ROI) Though many cost reducing technologies are being developed in the geothermal industry right now, continued refinement and development of GPFA workflows and their associated risk reduction will continue to increase investor confidence and support the full-scale growth of geothermal in the coming energy transition.

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