GEUSThe Geological SurveyThe Geological Survey

of Denmark and Greenlandof Denmark and Greenland

Contact Person:Contact Person: Anders Mathiesen, Senior geologist anm@geus.dk

GEUS is joining WP2, WP4 and WP5

GEUS – Location

GEUS – Organisation

GEUS – Web-site

GEUS – Web-site

GEUS – The National Survey

In 1995 the Geological Survey of Denmark (1888) was merged with the Geological Survey of Greenland (1946) into GEUS.

GEUS is today responsible of all geological matters within the Kingdom of Denmark, including Greenland and the Faeroe Islands...

.. and carries out geological related basic and advanced research of relevance to the society, both in form of advisory and consulting activities.

GEUS is a consultancy institution for Danish and Greenland authorities in questions concerning important geological conditions..

GEUS is a national research and advisory institute under the Danish Ministry for the Environment providing R&D and advisory services for government agencies, local authorities and private enterprises in Denmark as well as internationallyStaff ~ 280 persons. - Annual turnover 40 Million US$

Covering: water, energy, mineral resources & environment

International operations e.g. ::• North Sea (N, UK, GER, NL)• Greece• Tanzania• Vietnam• Chile• Canada• Baltic countries

Clastic research projects:• CO2 storage• Water aquifer• Geothermal reservoirs

Chalk research projects:• Tilted fluid contacts• Rock physics• Full field reservoir modelling

The National Survey

National Data Archives

The National data archivesNational data archives.. is responsible for building and maintaining the records of past activities. These data bank activities comprise very extensive printed and electronic files covering nearly all aspects of the subsoil.

A separate warehouse facility houses hundreds of kilometers of cores samples and many thousand representative sediment and rock samples.

GIS technologies are extensively applied

GEUS – Key Scientific Areas

Key scientific areas include:

• Ground water and surface water resources• Petroleum resources• Subsurface energy storage/disposalSubsurface energy storage/disposal • Raw materials and minerals resources• Geological mapping of Denmark, Greenland and the Faeroe Islands• Marine geology • Environmental impacts assessment• Physical & electronic data storage• Use of GIS technologies are extensively applied

GEUS – Geothermal ActivitiesGEUS has since the 80’ties played an important and an increasing role within exploration of geothermal resources in the Danish subsurface and has since 1998 assessed the possibility of expanding geothermal energy in Denmark.

The subterranean structure of Denmark contains geological structures which contain hot water. The subsurface temperatures in Denmark to does not allow direct production of electricity. However, hot water can be utilised for district heating production, either directly or via absorption heat pumps or electric heat pumps.

The first plant in Denmark was established in connection with the district heating supply in Thisted in 1984.

Geothermal Activities

GEUS has for many years provided advisory, research and consultancy services within the field of geothermal activities.

GEUS has particularly been involved in areas as structural development, compilation and formulation of geological models in an attempt to predict where to find reservoirs suitable for geothermal exploration.

This ongoing work has further contributed to the geological knowledge of production characteristics and the stability of the hot water recovery, i.e. risking.

Geothermal Energy – today

Geothermal Energy – today• The first national study on geothermal resources was initialised in 1981. • Geothermal resources is mainly related to the Mesozoic successionMesozoic succession of the Danish Basin and Fennoscandian Border Zone. • This succession has been the target for exploration activities since 1935 and is known from approx. 60 deep wells drilled for hydrocarbons, geothermal energy or gas storage. • Denmark has one geothermal plantDenmark has one geothermal plant, located in Thisted in the north-western part of Denmark. It produces heat from 44°C, 15% saline geothermal water pumped from the Upper Triassic Gassum sandstone aqiuifer at 1,2 kmsandstone aqiuifer at 1,2 km.• Experience from the Thisted plant have shown that heat and power plants integrated with geothermal plants with heat pumps (primary absorption heat pumps) can be used to produce heat and power with a high efficiency. Thus, although Denmark has moderate temperature gradientsmoderate temperature gradients (0.03°C per meter), many areas and stratigraphic levels hold warm sandstone aquifers, which can be used for district heating.

New Geothermal ProjectsIn 2000, a confidential study of the geothermal potential in the Copenhagen-Malmö region was initiated on behalf of DONG A/S.

The geothermal study was successfully completed when 70 degrees hot water was found in a sandstone layer more than 2600 metre under Copenhagen in the MAH-1 well. Prior to the successful drilling, GEUS had carried out assessments of six possible geothermal drilling sites and prepared the geological foundation for the drilling, using DONG A/S as the operator.

The ongoing research provides the knowledge base for the advisory capability, and GEUS is frequently called upon to supply geological, geophysical and engineering opinions on licence bids, drilling plans and field development plans put forward by companies operating on Danish territory.

New Geothermal Projects

Geologists and geophysics from GEUS participated in the work both during and after the drilling of this new geothermal well and GEUS has since been 2000 been working on improving our knowledge about the geothermal potential in Copenhagen-Mølmö area.

Based on the positive results a new demonstrationnew demonstration plant is expected to be established in the spring 2006 and is expected to generate the heat needed by 4000 households or 1% of the total heat demand in Copenhagen.

Furthermore, as a direct result of these efforts, geothermal exploration has now been resumed in the rest of the onshore Danishrest of the onshore Danish area, and a number of prospective areas will hopefully in the near future be identified and further assessed by the GEUS.

GEUS and ENGINEAt the moment Denmark has operating experience of geothermal energy based only on one small operating geothermal plant at Thisted

GEUS hope, - based on the positive results from the new geothermal well near Copenhagen and the expected following demonstration plant -, that the interest for implementation and utilisation of geothermal energy in Denmark with increase. This has already resulted in renewed geothermal interest and exploration in the other areas of Denmark.

Through ENGINE GEUS hope to learn, - from other more experienced partners, - how we further promote and use geothermal energy in Denmark.