The Search For Steam  

The Wimmera Mail Times has an article on a new geothermal drilling program in Western Victoria - Geothermal plans positive.

A GEOTHERMAL exploration company is confident it will be successful with a shallow drilling program near St Arnaud due to start in early 2009.

Geogen Victoria has been investigating a range of granites and other geological anomalies in its Geothermal Exploration Permit 1 area, which includes St Arnaud, Maryborough, Avoca and Dunolly. Geothermal, an energy generated by heat stored beneath the earth's surface, is regarded as one of the cleanest forms of base-load renewable energy.

Geogen director Andrew Carroll said areas of interest had been identified close to St Arnaud. Mr Carroll said Geogen had three exploration areas in central and western Victoria, covering a total area of 18,300 square kilometres, approved by the State Government in May 2007.

"Geogen Victoria believes that the generation of base-load geothermal power on the three exploration areas in Victoria will be able to compete with the burning of dirty La Trobe Valley lignites, even without the need for carbon offsets or an emissions trading scheme," he said. "We are planning to drill up to 30 shallow scout holes to determine the area's geothermal gradient, that is the level of high-grade heat, which can be used for the generation of geothermal base-load electricity." ...

Mr Carroll said the proximity to the national grid in Ballarat would benefit the project. "The location of the scout holes is being finalised but all will be close to high voltage transmission lines connected to the national electricity grid," he said. "It's an ideal terrain for geothermal energy resources. It will be able to provide a large source of energy in the area, and encourage the growth of industries that require heat."

Mr Carroll said once the results of the shallow drilling program were analysed by Geogen, the private company looked forward to a community consultation process.

German company Honet Badger will set up a joint venture with a local company in Mauritius to produce geothermal electricity in the island. Honet Badger representative Dan Kellar told journalists on Wednesday in the Mauritian capital Port Louis that the new company will exploit boiling underground water and steam found in different regions of the island to produce geothermal energy.

He said there is a great potential for geothermal electricity in the island. The venture will reduce the dependency of the country on charcoal and heavy oil, he said. Kellar said the production of geothermal electricity costs less compared to other methods and the raw material is available all year round.