Drilling for Geothermal and CCS Data in West Virginia

Dr. Shikha Sharma, WVU professor of Geology and IsoBioGeM lab director, is leading a team of researchers who are gathering data from an exploratory well near Morgantown. Drilling started in mid-May. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the team will collect the first geological data on whether geothermal reservoirs can be a clean energy source for parts of West Virginia and Mid-Appalachia. Carbon storage is also part of the research project.

This exploratory well is a borehole drilled 3 miles vertically to assess the geothermal heat potential in this region. The well is being used to collect critical rock samples and data on heat temperatures. It will not be a production well, meaning no energy or heat will come out of the well, only scientific data and rocks. No fracking is involved.

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What’s so hot about this research?

Mention geothermal energy in the US, and most will point to the West. This research will help decide if geothermal heat can be added to West Virginia's energy mix.

Advancing WVU's efforts to add cleaner, renewable power to reduce its carbon footprint
Deepest geothermal borehole in Mid-Appalachia (15,000 ft.)
Using state-of-the-art oil and gas drilling techniques for a geothermal data well
Evaluating shallow formations for thermal energy storage
Researching low-temperature geothermal data in the eastern U.S. and demonstrating its capabilities as a heat resource beyond the western states

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News

Keeping you updated on the latest geothermal projects at West Virginia University.

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geothermal well pad image by Andy Travis, Northeast Natural Energy

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WVU is a proud R1 Research University

A classification earned only by the top institutions in the nation.