Low- to medium-temperature Mexican geothermal reserves: First assessment

Abstract

In this work we make a first, partial, assessment of the low- to medium-temperature geothermal reserves of Mexico. The assessment covers about 30% of the identified geothermal surface manifestations. For reserve assessment we use the volume method, supplemented with Montecarlo simulations and statistics, in order to quantify the inherent uncertainties. We estimate these reserves as lying between 7.7 1016 and 8.6 1016 kJ, with 90% confidence. The distribution of most likely reservoir temperatures ranges 60-180?C, with a mean equal to 111?C. These massive amounts of recoverable energy and the associated temperatures are potentially important for the economic development of the associated geothermal localities.