Utah FORGE grants $44m funding for 9 EGS research project awardees

Utah Forge site at sunset (source/ photo: Eric Larson, FlashPoint SLC via UtahForge)

The Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) at the University of Utah has announced the completion of contract negotiations with 9 of the 13 project selectees for the FORGE Solicitation 2022-2.  A combined total of up to $44 million over the next three years is available for research projects. With their contracts signed, these awardees will begin their research immediately.

The contracted awardees and the corresponding topic areas are as follows:

• Global Technology Connection, Inc., University of Utah – Adaptive Induced Seismicity Monitoring Protocols
• University of Oklahoma – Alternative Stimulation Schemes
• California State University, Long Beach – Field-Scale Experiments to Measure Heat-Sweep Efficiency
• Oklahoma State University, Stevens Institute of Technology, University of Oklahoma – High Temperature Proppants
• PetroQuip, Welltec – Multiset Straddle Packers for Open Hole Operations

“We are excited to have these awardees begin their new R&D projects. This research will be invaluable in testing, evaluating, and de-risking the tools and techniques needed to advance EGS,” said Dr Joseph Moore, Ph.D. and Managing Principal Investigator of the Utah FORGE project. “We also look forward to the remaining four selectees completing contract negotiations and beginning their respective research shortly.”

Utah FORGE is a dedicated underground field laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office. It is working on advancing the technologies and de-risking the tools needed to establish Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) reservoirs. Solicitation 2022-2 was the second formal call for research proposals on EGS technologies from the Utah FORGE program.

More information about Solicitation 2022-2 is available at https://utahforge.com/solicitations/.

Source: Email correspondence