Dual hydrocarbon–geothermal energy exploitation: potential synergy between the production of natural gas and warm water from the subsurface

Abstract

Abstract The decline of domestic natural gas production, increasing dependency on gas imports and lagging development of renewable energy production may pose serious challenges to the current high standards of secure energy supply in the Netherlands. This paper examines synergy between hydrocarbon- and geothermal exploitation as a means to reinforce energy security. The Roden gas field is used as an example to demonstrate potential delay of water breakthrough in the gas well and a resulting increase of recovered gas (up to 19%), by positioning of a geothermal doublet in the water leg of the gas field. The reservoir simulations show that the total increase of gas production primarily depends on the amount of aquifer support. An optimal configuration of gas- and geothermal wells is key to maximise gas recovery and strongly depends on the distribution of reservoir properties. The study also reveals that this option can still be beneficial for gas fields in a late stage of production. Net Present Value calculations show that the added value from the geothermal doublet on total gas production could lead to an early repayment of initial investments in the geothermal project, thereby reducing the overall financial risk. If no subsidies are taken into account, the additional profits can also be used to finance the geothermal project up to break-even level within 15 years. However, this comes with a cost as the additional profits from improved gas recovery are significantly reduced.