Sedimentary Geothermal Feasibility in Nevada, Western Utah, Colorado, and the Gulf Coast Region of Texas Final Report
The objectives of this project were to (1) perform a literature review of sedimentary geothermal resources, (2) identify data sources and develop data-collection methodologies that characterize selected resources, (3) screen sedimentary basins and formations for sedimentary geothermal potential, and (4) evaluate the technical feasibility of one or more selected locations.
Numerous publications have characterized geothermal resources within sedimentary basins. A literature search reviewed publications describing resources located in Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. The most attractive resources have high temperature gradients, low drilling costs, and reservoir permeabilities greater than 10 millidarcies (mD). Prospects in Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah exhibit attractive characteristics and were chosen for further analysis.
Sedimentary resources in Nevada and Utah are most attractive, followed by tested resources in Texas and untested resources in Colorado. The identified resources in Wyoming and Louisiana had lower geothermal gradients and were not evaluated. Reservoir modeling and techno-economic analysis were performed at Marys River Basin - North in Nevada. Geothermal energy production at this location is expected to have a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) ranging between 10 and 20 cents/kWh. Additional work may result in lower LCOE estimates at this location and at other attractive prospects in these three regions.
Heat flow within three Colorado sedimentary basins reviewed as part of this study was calculated in targeted studies by the Colorado Geologic Survey and Colorado School of Mines. These calculations are based on bottom-hole temperature datasets with significant limitations and some variability but produce values consistently higher than the global continental average of 65 mW/m2 for all three basins. Heat flow in the Raton Basin is the highest; however, permeability measurements from specific sedimentary formations with high heat flow have not been obtained.
Promising formations for sedimentary geothermal systems were found in all three regions studied - Nevada-Utah, Colorado, and Texas.
Citation Formats
TY - DATA
AB - The objectives of this project were to (1) perform a literature review of sedimentary geothermal resources, (2) identify data sources and develop data-collection methodologies that characterize selected resources, (3) screen sedimentary basins and formations for sedimentary geothermal potential, and (4) evaluate the technical feasibility of one or more selected locations.
Numerous publications have characterized geothermal resources within sedimentary basins. A literature search reviewed publications describing resources located in Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. The most attractive resources have high temperature gradients, low drilling costs, and reservoir permeabilities greater than 10 millidarcies (mD). Prospects in Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah exhibit attractive characteristics and were chosen for further analysis.
Sedimentary resources in Nevada and Utah are most attractive, followed by tested resources in Texas and untested resources in Colorado. The identified resources in Wyoming and Louisiana had lower geothermal gradients and were not evaluated. Reservoir modeling and techno-economic analysis were performed at Marys River Basin - North in Nevada. Geothermal energy production at this location is expected to have a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) ranging between 10 and 20 cents/kWh. Additional work may result in lower LCOE estimates at this location and at other attractive prospects in these three regions.
Heat flow within three Colorado sedimentary basins reviewed as part of this study was calculated in targeted studies by the Colorado Geologic Survey and Colorado School of Mines. These calculations are based on bottom-hole temperature datasets with significant limitations and some variability but produce values consistently higher than the global continental average of 65 mW/m2 for all three basins. Heat flow in the Raton Basin is the highest; however, permeability measurements from specific sedimentary formations with high heat flow have not been obtained.
Promising formations for sedimentary geothermal systems were found in all three regions studied - Nevada-Utah, Colorado, and Texas.
AU - Johnston, Henry
A2 - Kolker, Amanda
A3 - Rhodes, Greg
A4 - Taverna, Nicole
DB - Open Energy Data Initiative (OEDI)
DP - Open EI | National Renewable Energy Laboratory
DO -
KW - geothermal
KW - energy
KW - sedimentary
KW - feasibility
KW - sedimentary basin
KW - Elko Basin
KW - Railroad Valley
KW - Steptoe Valley
KW - Pavant Butte
KW - Denver Basin
KW - Piceance Basin
KW - Raton Basin
KW - Gulf Coast Region
KW - Nevada
KW - Utah
KW - Texas
KW - GBCAAS
KW - Great Basin Carbonate and Alluvial Aquifer System
KW - carbonate
KW - AGS
KW - advanced geothermal system
KW - bottom-hole temperature
KW - well data
KW - LCOE
KW - economics
KW - upper
KW - lower
KW - carbonate aquifer unit
KW - EGS
KW - enhanced geothermal system
KW - play fairway analysis
KW - Colorado
KW - temperature
KW - bottom-hole
KW - Marys River Basin
KW - drilling
KW - permeability
KW - reservoir
KW - modeling
KW - carbonate geothermal system
KW - CGS
KW - techno-economic
KW - analysis
KW - downselect
KW - subsurface
KW - data mining
KW - geology
KW - gradient
KW - heat
KW - flow
KW - geophysics
KW - seismic
KW - closed-loop
KW - hydrogeology
KW - cost
KW - structural
KW - bedrock
KW - map
KW - aquifer
KW - sedgeo
LA - English
DA - 2020/07/01
PY - 2020
PB - National Renewable Energy Laboratory
T1 - Sedimentary Geothermal Feasibility in Nevada, Western Utah, Colorado, and the Gulf Coast Region of Texas Final Report
UR - https://data.openei.org/submissions/7356
ER -
Johnston, Henry, et al. Sedimentary Geothermal Feasibility in Nevada, Western Utah, Colorado, and the Gulf Coast Region of Texas Final Report. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1 July, 2020, GDR. https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1225.
Johnston, H., Kolker, A., Rhodes, G., & Taverna, N. (2020). Sedimentary Geothermal Feasibility in Nevada, Western Utah, Colorado, and the Gulf Coast Region of Texas Final Report. [Data set]. GDR. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1225
Johnston, Henry, Amanda Kolker, Greg Rhodes, and Nicole Taverna. Sedimentary Geothermal Feasibility in Nevada, Western Utah, Colorado, and the Gulf Coast Region of Texas Final Report. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, July, 1, 2020. Distributed by GDR. https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1225
@misc{OEDI_Dataset_7356,
title = {Sedimentary Geothermal Feasibility in Nevada, Western Utah, Colorado, and the Gulf Coast Region of Texas Final Report},
author = {Johnston, Henry and Kolker, Amanda and Rhodes, Greg and Taverna, Nicole},
abstractNote = {The objectives of this project were to (1) perform a literature review of sedimentary geothermal resources, (2) identify data sources and develop data-collection methodologies that characterize selected resources, (3) screen sedimentary basins and formations for sedimentary geothermal potential, and (4) evaluate the technical feasibility of one or more selected locations.
Numerous publications have characterized geothermal resources within sedimentary basins. A literature search reviewed publications describing resources located in Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. The most attractive resources have high temperature gradients, low drilling costs, and reservoir permeabilities greater than 10 millidarcies (mD). Prospects in Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah exhibit attractive characteristics and were chosen for further analysis.
Sedimentary resources in Nevada and Utah are most attractive, followed by tested resources in Texas and untested resources in Colorado. The identified resources in Wyoming and Louisiana had lower geothermal gradients and were not evaluated. Reservoir modeling and techno-economic analysis were performed at Marys River Basin - North in Nevada. Geothermal energy production at this location is expected to have a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) ranging between 10 and 20 cents/kWh. Additional work may result in lower LCOE estimates at this location and at other attractive prospects in these three regions.
Heat flow within three Colorado sedimentary basins reviewed as part of this study was calculated in targeted studies by the Colorado Geologic Survey and Colorado School of Mines. These calculations are based on bottom-hole temperature datasets with significant limitations and some variability but produce values consistently higher than the global continental average of 65 mW/m2 for all three basins. Heat flow in the Raton Basin is the highest; however, permeability measurements from specific sedimentary formations with high heat flow have not been obtained.
Promising formations for sedimentary geothermal systems were found in all three regions studied - Nevada-Utah, Colorado, and Texas. },
url = {https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1225},
year = {2020},
howpublished = {GDR, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1225},
note = {Accessed: 2025-05-11}
}
Details
Data from Jul 1, 2020
Last updated Oct 21, 2020
Submitted Jun 30, 2020
Organization
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Contact
Nicole Taverna
Authors
Original Source
https://gdr.openei.org/submissions/1225Research Areas
Keywords
geothermal, energy, sedimentary, feasibility, sedimentary basin, Elko Basin, Railroad Valley, Steptoe Valley, Pavant Butte, Denver Basin, Piceance Basin, Raton Basin, Gulf Coast Region, Nevada, Utah, Texas, GBCAAS, Great Basin Carbonate and Alluvial Aquifer System, carbonate, AGS, advanced geothermal system, bottom-hole temperature, well data, LCOE, economics, upper, lower, carbonate aquifer unit, EGS, enhanced geothermal system, play fairway analysis, Colorado, temperature, bottom-hole, Marys River Basin, drilling, permeability, reservoir, modeling, carbonate geothermal system, CGS, techno-economic, analysis, downselect, subsurface, data mining, geology, gradient, heat, flow, geophysics, seismic, closed-loop, hydrogeology, cost, structural, bedrock, map, aquifer, sedgeoDOE Project Details
Project Name Sedimentary Geothermal Feasibility
Project Lead Mike Weathers
Project Number FY20 AOP 3131
