SLB to deploy ESPs to support geothermal development in Taiwan

Global energy services company SLB has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to introduce electric submersible pumps (ESPs) and related services to support Taiwan’s geothermal energy development.

Wang Hanying, Director of the Institute of Green Energy and Environment of ITRI, stated that ESPs can help overcome some of the key challenges of developing the geothermal resources in Taiwan. These include the relatively low temperature and pressure of metamorphic-hosted geothermal system, as well as the high calcium concentration of geothermal fluids that lead to scaling and deposition.

Since 2021, ITRI had already been collaborating with SLB for the use of ESPs in the Jinlun geothermal area in Taitung County. The technology has helped increase the power generation and efficiency of the geothermal wells in the site, particularly those that were not self-discharging. The ESPs have also helped mitigate challenges related to the removal of calcium carbonate scales, extending the cycle from one week to more than nine months.

The signing of the memorandum deepens the partnership between the two parties and creates a framework for the deployment of SLBs’ ESP technology to more geothermal project sites in Taiwan. The signing ceremony was attended by Yan Zhiwei, Leader of ITRI’s Green Energy Institute, Ann Robertson-Tait, General Manager of SLB GeothermEx, SLB Manager Xie Yajun, SLB East Asia General Manager T. Monden, and other representatives from ITRI and SLB.

With about 42 MW of geothermal power capacity under planning and development, there is enough geothermal resources on the pipeline to supply power to around 100,000 households in Taiwan. This initiative is in line with Taiwan’s goal of building renewable energy capacity to exceed 60% of the country’s power generation by 2050.

Source: Yahoo! News Taiwan