Siting of Power Plants Wells for True/Mid-Pacific Geothermal Venture in the Kilauea Middle East Rift Zone Geothermal Resource Subzone

摘要

A geothermal resource assessment program was initiated in Hawaii in 1978 under the Western States Cooperative Direct Heat Resources Assessment Program. Its stated purpose was to identify and evaluate potential geothermal resource areas on all major islands. The principal areas of interest to prospective resource developers were those areas with the highest potential for a high temperature resource capable of producing electricity. The resource assessment program identified the Kilauea east rift zone as the area with the highest potential: "Kilauea East Rift Zone: an extensive body of geological, geophysical, and geochemical data concerning the East Rift Zone is available and virtually all of this data indicates that a high-temperature thermal system is associated with the entire rift. Deep exploratory geothermal wells drilled into the rift zone has identified temperature in excess of 350°C, and continuous production from one of these wells for a period of more than two years indicates that sufficient recharge is available for production of geothermal electrical power. The probability for both a low and high temperature resource on this rift zone is 100%."