Preliminary Estimates of Geothermal Potential of Belarus

Abstract

The territory of Belarus belongs to the Precambrian East-European Platform (Peive, et al. 1981, 1982). Such areas are usually rather cold ones and there are no high enthalpy geothermal steam reservoirs useful for electricity production. Geothermal water and brines in Belarus have temperatures from 10oC at depths around 200-500 meters within the Belarussian Anteclisc and the Orsha Depression to 80-110oC at depths of 4-5.5 km in the south-eastern part of Belarus. Their increased and high values are typical for the Brest Cepression and the Pripyat Trough. Heat flow density for the territory ranges from below 20-30 mW/m2 for Precambrian units (the Belarussian Anteclise, Orsha Depression, the Larvian, Polessian and Zhlobin saddles) to 70-80 mW/m2 within the northern part of the Pripyat Trough. Preliminary estimates show that geothermal energy resources are equivalent 0.5 to 5-6 tons of a conventional fuel per square meter in Belarus. The highest geothermal potential is related to the Pripyat Trough. The present energy shortage dictates the necessity to use this geothermal energy as one of renewable resources, for instance, for space heating, operation of greenhouses, during cold seasons of the year, other agricultural production, warn water supply, creation of swimming pools, ect.

The most promising areas for geothermal energy utilization are the Pripyat Trough and the Brest Depression, where many deep boreholes were drilled. Both circulation scheme and the heat pumps technology could be used here,. Rock salt domes and spells, representing accumulators of the terrestrial heat, are widely developed within the Pripyat Trough, theHotDryRock technology could be considered for the heat utilization from such structures.