Udall Lauds $4.84 Million Investment for Geothermal Energy at N.M. Labs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) today announced that Sandia and Los Alamos National Labs and Applied Technology Associates in Albuquerque will receive a total of $4.84 million for the development of geothermal energy technologies.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the funds through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to help reduce the cost of geothermal energy thus making it more competitive with conventional sources of electricity.

"I applaud the Department of Energy for continuing to invest in this key energy source. Much of New Mexico is a known or potential geothermal resource, and New Mexico's labs are leaders in the field. Geothermal technology provides renewable, affordable, and reliable heating and power, and this research and development will spur job creation at our national labs and in private industry," Udall said.

Earlier this year, Udall reintroduced legislation that would establish a federal Renewable Energy Standard (RES) requiring utilities to generate 25 percent of their electricity from geothermal, wind, solar and other renewable energy sources by 2025. Udall is a long time supporter of a federal RES. He first introduced the bill in 2002 in the House of Representatives eventually achieving passage in 2007.

The projects will focus on new ways to locate geothermal resources, improve resource characterization, drilling and reservoir engineering techniques.

The following projects will receive funding:

Applied Technology Associates (Albuquerque): up to $1.5 million
This project will use an innovative sensor to facilitate simultaneous measurement of multiple wave velocities and directions to improve reservoir observation and monitoring.

Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos): up to $1.0 million
This project will allow for more accurate imaging of seismic data through the development of an advanced processing technique.

Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos): up to $1.6 million
This project will reduce the cost of geothermal energy by developing an innovative method that combines high pressure impulses and thermal gradients to drill through hard rock.

Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque): up to $400,000
This project will develop an environmentally-friendly material that will temporarily isolate sections of the wellbore to control zones of injection and production at high temperatures and pressures, lowering completion costs.

Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque): up to $340,000
This project will assess the feasibility of using state-of-the-art sensors and components to accurately determine the direction and orientation of a geothermal well in real-time in order to lower drilling costs.