Olympic Dam EGS Project

Abstract

This paper presents results from down-hole hydraulic fracturing and laboratory core testing completed for a geothermal energy prospect located in South Australia. The paper describes a process that determined detailed in-situ stress conditions within a slim-hole drilled to almost 2,000m depth into prospective hot granite. Determination of the stress conditions was undertaken as a low cost and low risk way to assess the prospect of successfully fracture stimulating the hot granite at relatively shallow depths. These measurements are the first step before proceeding with the more costly and higher risk steps of drilling and fracture stimulation in much deeper and hotter production wells in the granite.