In Central Oregon, geothermal energy developers are planning to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of the dormant Newberry Volcano this summer. The developers expect the water will come back to the surface as hot steam and create clean and affordable electricity.
The US Department of Energy funded $21.5 million, Google funded $6.3 million and other investors contributed $15 million into the project by AltaRock Energy and Davenport Newberry Holdings.
Over 21 days, AltaRock Energy will pour a total of 24 million gallons of water into the 10,600-foot test well using Enhanced Geothermal System technology. Cold water will be pumped to crack the rock then small plastic particles will be pumped down the well to seal the cracks. Then more water will be pumped to crack the rock deeper until a reservoir is created to draw out steam. The plastic will later melt away.
Although cracking rocks underground can lead to earthquakes, the risk is low near the Newberry Volcano since there are no significant faults, it is far from population centers and the layers of volcanic ash will dampen any shaking.
The Department of Energy has said it will monitor the project and any significant quakes will for shut down the project for further review.
