- A hot new development is in the works at the Point of the Mountain, once home to the Utah State Prison.
- Geothermal energy is the "heat beneath your feet" and there exists a large reservoir that the Office of Energy Development wants to explore.
- The agency is poised to ink a contract for a feasibility study and for the potential drilling of a pump station to access this clean, renewable energy resource.
The Utah Office of Energy Development is poised to ink a contract to tap into a study for geothermal resources for development at the Point of the Mountain — the former site of the Utah State Prison.
The office says there is huge potential for this resource of clean, renewable energy, because there exists a large reservoir that has not yet been accessed on a utility scale.
There is also an existing well at the reservoir that the prison used to heat a few buildings.
It appears that the reservoir is suitable for heating and cooling the new development at the Point, the office said.
“Although neighboring entities are utilizing the same resource for both recreational and commercial purposes, there is an opportunity to collaborate with our partners to ensure the sustainable productivity of the shared resource,” said Tracy Rees, a spokesman for the agency.
“It was determined that a subsurface resource exploration project, including a pump test, data analysis and a long-term feasibility report on the well, will help quantify the value of the resource and determine the viability of heating and cooling the multi-phase 600-acre development. OED is funding the project.”
The Office of Energy Development is close to awarding a contract for the project to begin a pump test on the existing on-site well.
“The second phase of the project involves analyzing the pump test data to conduct a long-term feasibility study, which will take place in the fall and will help determine the viability of a district heating and cooling project.”
She said additional results are anticipated this fall.
What is geothermal energy?
Energy officials routinely call it the “heat beneath your feet,” which means being able to tap into the superheated earth beneath the ground, pump water in and then generate that heat to produce steam. That steam will move turbines.
It is notable because Utah is third in the nation for utility-scale production of geothermal energy, behind only to Nevada and California.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration explains it this way:
The Earth has four major parts, or layers:
- An inner core of solid iron that is about 1,500 miles in diameter.
- An outer core of hot molten rock called magma that is about 1,500 miles thick.
- A mantle of magma and rock surrounding the outer core that is about 1,800 miles thick.
- A crust of solid rock that forms the continents and ocean floors that is 15 miles to 35 miles thick under the continents and 3 miles to 5 miles thick under the oceans.
Scientists have discovered that the temperature of the Earth’s inner core is about 10,800 degrees, which is as hot as the surface of the sun.
By being able to tap into heat, the opportunities are endless.
In fact, Utah beat out several sites in a stiff, competitive quest to house the U.S. Department of Energy’s FORGE site.
It is a unique demonstration
The project in Beaver County involves the drilling of one of two deep, deviated wells seeking to capture geothermal energy bubbling at 437 degrees.
The enhanced geothermal technology works like a radiator, with the planned injection of water into one well that will then be brought up as steam to power a turbine to turn it into energy.
In 2023, the FORGE project proved its worth, with two deep vertical wells linked to a long horizontal conduit that made a connection.
Joseph Moore is principal investigator of the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy, or FORGE, a Department of Energy project aiming to bring geothermal energy to the market on a utility scale that is financially viable and scientifically sound.
Its success on a demonstration scale has been noted around the world.
The project injected 1,800 barrels of water into one well at five barrels a minute and achieved success when it flowed along the horizontal pathway to travel up the production well.
To say the least, Moore was excited about the success.
Utah getting in on the geothermal game
Earlier this year, the Utah Bureau of Land Management held a lease/sale of land for potential geothermal development, and it netted the most money per acre in recent history, with 14 parcels that brought in more than $5.6 million.
The parcels totaled 50,971 acres and were leased for an average of $111.47 per acre.
The combined bonus bids, rentals and subsequent royalties from the leases will be distributed between the U.S. Treasury, the state of Utah and the counties where the leases are located.
