Status of Japanese HDR Project at Hijiori

Abstract

The amount of HDR geothermal resource in Japan was estimated about that will be able to produce W for20 years. It is huge enough to supply over 10 of the electricity in Japan. However, the cost of electricity generated from the HDR energy was estimated larger than twice that of petroleum, gas or nuclear power. Thus, the Hijiori HDR project will be prolonged until 2000. The major achievement of the Hijiori HDR project was a circulation test for 90 days in 1991.Water was injected ihto an injection well, heated through the 1800-m-deep reservoir and ejected from three production wells. A production rate was about 46 ton hour while an injection rate was 60 ton hour, and a thermal output was about 8 MW. After the circulation test, a reservoir with an injection well and two production wells was completed in FY 1994. From FY 1996 to FY 1998, a long term circulation test will be conducted.