Geothermal Resources of Russia and Their Utilization

Abstract

The study of the Earth's thermal field testifies to the presence of a huge, practically inexhaustible and ecologically pure source of thermal energy in the interior. These geothermal resources are subdivided into petrothermal and hydrothermal varieties representing thermal energy accumulated in rocks and groundwater fluids, respectively. Extraction of thermal energy from hard rocks is as yet at the stage of experiment, whereas the hydrothermal resources are already successfully exploited in many countries supplying electrical and thermal energy. In Russia, geothermal resources are predominantly utilized for space heating in several cities and settlements of the Northern Caucasus and Kamchatka with a total population of 500 000. Besides, greenhouses with a total area of 465 000 m2 use terrestrial heat in some regions of Russia. The electricity is generated by some geothermal power plants (GeoPP) only in the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands. At the present time, the Pauzhetka GeoPP (installed capacity 11 MWe) and Severo-Mutnovka GeoPP (12 MW) are in operation in Kamchatka. Near the latter power plant, the unit (50 MW) was constructed in 2001 and will come into operation in 2002. Moreover, another GeoPP (100 MW) is now in project in the same place. Two small GeoPP are in operation in the Kurils (Kunashir and Iturup islands) with installed capacity of 2.6 and 6 MW, respectively.