Our team recently presented a paper on Geothermal: the Next Generation (GNG) research programme at the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) annual meeting. Given the circumstances of 2020, this conference was held virtually, and the live broadcast format welcomed over attendees from many international countries.
Aligned with growing international interest, one of the GRC 2020 special topic sessions focussed on Super Hot/SupercriticalGeothermal Systems.
The GNG paper, presented by GNG Programme Leader Isabelle Chambefort, sought to introduce the GNG programme to this international audience. Particular focus was on outlining the intended strategy development process and GNG's engagement with those across the geothermal industry, academia, researchers, business, Māori, development banks and government entities.
A key part of the GNG programme is to commence New Zealand’s move towards supercritical geothermal resource utilisation, targeting technology deployment by 2040 with sector-wide rollout through the 2040s and aligned with the Government’s 2050 “zero carbon” energy portfolio target. New Zealand’s supercritical strategy will bring together current scientific understanding of New Zealand’s supercritical resources accounting for international experiences, address technological, legal, regulatory, economic and other barriers and drive targeted and coordinated activity across multiple sectors to unlock our supercritical resource potential.
View the presentation slides here.