Geothermal Energy of Kamchatka

Abstract

The total installed capacity and total amount of electricity generated by all power plants in Kamchatka krai in 2018 is equal to 650 MW (100%) and 1815 million kW h (100%), and geothermal power plants (GeoTPPs) accounted for 74 MW (11%) and 428 million kW h (23%). With PAO Kamchatskenergo’s tariff for supplied electricity in the same year equal to 7.383 rubles/(kW h), the cost of electricity produced by GeoTPPs was more than a factor of two lower: 3.422 rubles/(kW h). Sixteen geothermal fields (GFs) with the total reserves equal to 75 000 m3/day have been explored in the peninsula, of which nine GFs with the approved steam and water reserves equal to 27 kg/s and 7700 m3/day are operated by AO Teplo Zemli (Heat of the Earth) (the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky). For the Pauzhetka, Verkhne-Mutnovsky, and Mutnovsky GeoTPPs, their thermal cycle diagrams are presented and their technologies, main equipment, and problems encountered during their operation are described. In 2018, the heat generating facilities of Kamchatka had a total installed capacity equal to 1557 MW (100%) and heat output equal to 3 206 000 MW h (100%), including 64 MW (4%) and 144 000 MW h (4.5%) at geothermal heat supply systems (GHSS). The structures and process diagrams of ten GHSS with the total connected heat load equal to 30.3 MW and annual amount of supplied heat equal to 1 673 500 MW h operated by AO Teplo Zemli are described. For 9 months of 2019, 558 800 t of geothermal steam and 9.38 million m3 of geothermal water were produced from 73 geothermal wells. According to predictive estimates, the potential of geothermal heat supply in Kamchatka totals 1350 MW. The peninsula’s GHSS development scenarios are described.