Renewable energy development company Western GeoPower Corp. (CDNX:WGP.V; Frankfurt:WE6F.F) today announced that drilling is scheduled to begin at the Geysers Geothermal Field in California in February.
According to the company, the permits to drill the first two wells have been received and the sites have been prepared. Western GeoPower said it has taken delivery of the wellhead equipment and downhole materials required for the first two wells.
"We anticipate drilling eight wells prior to the start of commercial operations projected for early 2010 at the proposed Western GeoPower Unit 1 power plant," said Kenneth MacLeod, President and CEO of Western GeoPower. "Rig availability has improved over the past year and a second rig could be secured in the event additional wells are required to fully develop the resource."
ThermaSource was contracted in November 2007 to drill the initial six steam wells at the Western GeoPower Unit 1 project site. In business since 1980, ThermaSource is a geothermal drilling company and project management consultant, based in Santa Rosa, California, close to The Geysers.
Independent consultant GeothermEx, Inc. of Richmond, California has designed the drilling program and will provide strategic management throughout the drilling phase. The wells will be directionally drilled from existing drill pads to intersect target zones where commercial steam productivity was encountered by previous production wells. The average total vertical depth per well is anticipated to be 8,000 – 9,000 feet with the maximum total measured depth expected to be approximately 11,000 feet, according to a company release.
The Geysers geothermal field, located 75 miles north of San Francisco, California, is the largest producer of geothermal electricity in the world. Commercial geothermal power has been generated continuously at The Geysers field since 1960, the present generation level being about 900 megawatts of clean, baseload electricity. Western GeoPower’s Unit 1 project is situated in the south-western region of The Geysers field in Sonoma County.
Corporate Overview
Western GeoPower Corp. is a renewable energy company dedicated to the development of geothermal energy projects for the delivery of clean, baseload electricity generation. The Company is developing The Western GeoPower Unit 1 geothermal power plant at The Geysers Geothermal Field in Sonoma County, California, United States. Western GeoPower is also developing the South Meager Geothermal Project in British Columbia, Canada.
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