Quaise Energy pilots deep geothermal to decarbonise gold mine

Geothermal developer Quaise Energy and the Barrick-operated Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) are exploring using geothermal heat from land and subsurface holdings to decarbonise their TS Power Plant.

Quaise and NGM are also investigating deep geothermal energy sources to hydridise power generation and further reduce the plant’s fossil fuel consumption and emissions.

NGM has been exploring several measures to decarbonise the plant, such as converting to cleaner natural gas fuel, as well as building a 200MW solar power plant.

The retrofit of NGM’s TS Power Plant will push Quaise forward from drilling field trials to full commercial deployment.

Deep geothermal

According to Quaise this project will mark the first commercial pilot for retrofitting a fossil fuel power plant to accommodate geothermal heat and demonstrates the role geothermal can play in decarbonising the mining sector.

Have you read?
Cross-border geothermal demonstration project launches in Ireland
Exergy wins deal for two geothermal plants in Turkey

Henri Gonin, managing director of Nevada Gold Mines, commented in a statement: “Nevada Gold Mines is targeting an overall 30% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. We continue to pursue initiatives that economically reduce our reliance on carbon-based electricity sources. Quaise offers a unique prospective solution to hybridise our on-site power generation with clean geothermal heat.”

Carlos Araque, president and CEO of Quaise Energy highlighted in a company statement that deep geothermal has superior power density and can compete with fossil fuels on cost while eliminating carbon emissions by producing as much as 10x more power per well than traditional geothermal.

Quaise Energy's solution

Quaise is developing a new approach to ultra-deep drilling using their gyrotron-powered drilling platform. The platform vaporizes boreholes through rock and provides access to deep geothermal heat without complex downhole equipment.

The system involves rotary drilling to get to basement rock, then switching to high-power millimeter waves to reach unprecedented depths.

According to the geothermal company, millimeter wave drilling allows them to drill as far down as 20km to reach temperatures up to 500°C.

Quaise Energy is a spin off from MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center and was formed in 2018. The company has raised over $95 million to date.