As more oil and gas wells are taken out of production, there is an opportunity to reuse their infrastructure for geothermal energy production. These inactive wellbores provide access to subsurface reservoirs of hot water and rock that can be tapped for the commercial development of deep geothermal direct use or power generation projects. Repurposing retired wells reduces costs and environmental impacts versus drilling new wells. It provides a beneficial use for legacy oilfield assets. Geothermal power holds promise as a clean, renewable baseload energy source that could help transition communities away from declining fossil fuel production. Reusing existing well infrastructure for geothermal could support more stable, diversified local economies while making use of energy locked in the subsurface to provide low-carbon heating and electricity for homes and businesses.
As more oil and gas wells are taken out of production, there is an opportunity to reuse their infrastructure for geothermal energy production. These inactive wellbores provide access to subsurface reservoirs of hot water and rock that can be tapped for the commercial development of deep geothermal direct use or power generation projects. Repurposing retired wells reduces costs and environmental impacts versus drilling new wells. It provides a beneficial use for legacy oilfield assets. Geothermal power holds promise as a clean, renewable baseload energy source that could help transition communities away from declining fossil fuel production. Reusing existing well infrastructure for geothermal could support more stable, diversified local economies while making use of energy locked in the subsurface to provide low-carbon heating and electricity for homes and businesses.