Geothermal Development in Russia: Country Update 2005-2009

Abstract

As is well known, Russia possesses unique reserves of geothermal energy for production of electricity, provision of district heating systems for industrial and agricultural needs. Exploitation of geothermal resources, implementation of drilling operations for geothermal fluid production has been carried out in Russia and former Soviet Union for more than 60 years. Today almost all the territory of the country is well investigated. It was found that numerous regions have reserves of hot geothermal fluid with the temperature from 50 up to 200C at depth from 200 to 3000 m. These areas are located in the European part of Russia: Central region; Northern Caucasus; Daghestan; in Siberia: Baikal rift area, Krasnoyarsk region, Chukotka, Sakhalin. Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands have the richest resources of geothermal power available for the production of up to 2000 MW of electricity and for more than 3000 MW of heat for district heating system.
Utilization of geothermal resources in Russia is especially important for heat supply to northern territories of our country. In Russia more than 45% of total energy resources are used for heat supply of cities, settlements and industrial complexes. Up to 30% of those energy resources can be provided using geothermal heat.
Utilization of geothermal heat is planned in the following regions of Russia: Krasnodar Region (heat supply of Labinsk town as well as complex geothermal use in Rozoviy town), Kaliningrad Region and Kamchatka (heat supply of Yelizovo and construction of Pauzhetsky binary power plant of 2,5 MW capacity and extension of the existing Mutnovsky GeoPP (50 MW) utilize secondary steam for the production up to 12 MW of electricity.