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Drilling for geothermal in the offing
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Posted on Aug 03 2011
Using a recent $1.26-million Interior grant, the CNMI government will soon issue a request for proposals to drill geothermal temperature gradient holes of some 2,000 feet or deeper in Gualo Rai to verify the presence of heat at economically viable depths.
Thomas J. Camacho of the CNMI Energy Task Force under the Office of the Governor said this during a presentation on geothermal research in the CNMI, during the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s general membership meeting yesterday at the Fiesta Resort & Spa.
Camacho said one of the end-goals is to reduce the CNMI’s dependence on fossil fuels and increase use of renewable or alternative energy sources such as geothermal energy.
He said if geothermal energy use becomes successful, it may help reduce the cost of electricity to less than 10 cents per kwh, compared to the current rate of 43 cents/kwh for commercial customers.
Douglas Brennan, president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, said the realization of the geothermal project will be a big help not only to businesses but also to the whole CNMI faced with skyrocketing utility costs.
The task force said several observations suggest that Saipan may also have geothermal potential because of its proximity to active volcanoes, extension faulting, and elevated temperatures in two wells, one of which is in Gualo Rai.
Camacho said if the required drilling under the RFP will be able to determine that the CNMI has enough geothermal energy to run a power plant, then Gualo Rai could be a center of the geothermal power plant.
Newly installed Northern Marianas College president Dr. Sharon Hart, also a guest speaker at the Chamber meeting, made a presentation about NMC as an engine for economic growth in the CNMI.
Hart said she would like to further strengthen NMC’s ties with the business community to help provide a well-prepared labor force, employer group training, and other mutually beneficial programs.
