In the case of the Big Blind, this prospecting information gave the company enough confidence to purchase a federal lease, allowing it to develop a geothermal plant. With that lease secured, the team returned with the larger drill rig and drilled thousands of feet down in July and August. Workers found the hot, permeable rock they expected.
They will then have to secure permits for construction and grid connection and arrange for the investment needed to build the plant. The team will also continue testing at the site, including long-term testing to track heat and water flow.
“There is a strong need for a method that can explore features at a larger scale,” says John McLennan, technical lead for resource management at Utah Forge, a National Laboratory field site for geothermal energy funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The new finding is “promising,” says McLennan.
The Big Blind is Zanskar’s first confirmed discovery that was not previously explored or developed, but the company has used its equipment for other geothermal exploration projects. Earlier this year, it announced a discovery at a site that had previously been explored by the industry but not developed. The company also purchased and revived a geothermal power plant in New Mexico.
And this could be just the beginning for Zanskar. As Edwards says, “This is the beginning of a wave of new, naturally occurring geothermal systems that will have enough heat to support power plants.”
