42 U.S.C. § 17193 — General geothermal systems research

Page 8996 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 17192 1 So in original. The words ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ appear in in- troductory provisions. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective on the date that is 1 day after Dec. 19, 2007, see section 1601 of Pub. L. 110–140, set out as a note under section 1824 of Title 2, The Congress. SHORT TITLE This part known as the ‘‘Advanced Geothermal En- ergy Research and Development Act of 2007’’, see Short Title note set out under section 17001 of this title. § 17192. Hydrothermal research and development (a) In general The Secretary shall carry out a program of re- search, development, demonstration, and com- mercial application for geothermal energy pro- duction from hydrothermal systems. (b) Programs The program authorized in subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) Advanced hydrothermal resource tools The research and development of advanced geologic tools to assist in locating hydro- thermal resources, and to increase the reli- ability of site characterization, including the development of new imaging and sensing tech- nologies and techniques to assist in prioritization of targets for characterization; (2) Exploratory drilling for geothermal re- sources The demonstration of advanced technologies and techniques of siting and exploratory drill- ing for undiscovered resources in a variety of geologic settings, carried out in collaboration with industry partners that will assist in the acquisition of high quality data sets relevant for hydrothermal subsurface characterization activities. (Pub. L. 110–140, title VI, § 613, Dec. 19, 2007, 121 Stat. 1679; Pub. L. 116–260, div. Z, title III, § 3002(b), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2487.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2020—Pub. L. 116–260 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to hydrothermal re- search and development. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective on the date that is 1 day after Dec. 19, 2007, see section 1601 of Pub. L. 110–140, set out as a note under section 1824 of Title 2, The Congress. § 17193. General geothermal systems research and development (a) Subsurface components and systems The Secretary shall support a program of re- search, development, demonstration, and com- mercial application of components and systems capable of withstanding geothermal environ- ments and necessary to develop, produce, and monitor geothermal reservoirs and produce geo- thermal energy. (b) Environmental impacts The Secretary shall— (1) support a program of research, develop- ment, demonstration, and commercial applica- tion of technologies and practices designed to mitigate or preclude potential adverse envi- ronmental impacts of geothermal energy de- velopment, production or use; (2) support a research program to identify potential environmental impacts, including induced seismicity, and environmental bene- fits of geothermal energy development, pro- duction, and use, and ensure that the program described in paragraph (1) addresses such im- pacts, including water use and effects on groundwater and local hydrology; (3) support a program of research to compare the potential environmental impacts and envi- ronmental benefits identified as part of the de- velopment, production, and use of geothermal energy with the potential emission reductions of greenhouse gases gained by geothermal en- ergy development, production, and use; and (4) in carrying out this section, the Sec- retary shall,1 to the maximum extent prac- ticable, consult with relevant federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agen- cy. (c) Reservoir thermal energy storage The Secretary shall support a program of re- search, development, and demonstration of res- ervoir thermal energy storage, emphasizing cost-effective improvements through deep direct use engineering, design, and systems research. (d) Oil and gas technology transfer initiative (1) In general The Secretary shall support an initiative among the Office of Fossil Energy, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and the private sector to research, develop, and demonstrate relevant advanced tech- nologies and operation techniques used in the oil and gas sector for use in geothermal energy development. (2) Priorities In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall prioritize technologies with the greatest potential to significantly increase the use and lower the cost of geothermal energy in the United States, including the cost and speed of geothermal drilling surface technologies, large- and small-scale drilling, and well con- struction. (e) Coproduction of geothermal energy and min- erals production research and development initiative (1) In general The Secretary shall carry out a research and development initiative under which the Sec- retary shall provide financial assistance to demonstrate the coproduction of critical min- erals from geothermal resources. (2) Requirements An award made under paragraph (1) shall— (A) improve the cost effectiveness of re- moving minerals from geothermal brines as part of the coproduction process; Page 8997 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 17194 (B) increase recovery rates of the targeted mineral commodity; (C) decrease water use and other environ- mental impacts, as determined by the Sec- retary; and (D) demonstrate a path to commercial via- bility. (f) Flexible operations The Secretary shall support a research initia- tive on flexible operation of geothermal power plants. (g) Integrated energy systems The Secretary shall identify opportunities for joint research, development, and demonstration programs between geothermal systems and other energy generation or storage systems. (h) Drilling data repository (1) In general The Secretary shall, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, establish and op- erate a voluntary, industry-wide repository of geothermal drilling information to lower the cost of future geothermal drilling. (2) Repository (A) In general In carrying out paragraph (1), the Sec- retary shall collaborate with countries uti- lizing a significant amount of geothermal energy, as determined by the Secretary. (B) Data system The repository established under para- graph (1) shall be integrated with the Na- tional Geothermal Data System. (Pub. L. 110–140, title VI, § 614, Dec. 19, 2007, 121 Stat. 1680; Pub. L. 116–260, div. Z, title III, § 3002(c), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2488.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2020—Pub. L. 116–260 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to general geothermal systems research and development. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective on the date that is 1 day after Dec. 19, 2007, see section 1601 of Pub. L. 110–140, set out as a note under section 1824 of Title 2, The Congress. § 17194. Enhanced geothermal systems research and development (a) In general The Secretary shall support a program of re- search, development, demonstration, and com- mercial application for enhanced geothermal systems, including the programs described in subsection (b). (b) Enhanced geothermal systems technologies In collaboration with industry partners, insti- tutions of higher education, and the national laboratories, the Secretary shall support a pro- gram of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of the technologies to achieve higher efficiency and lower cost en- hanced geothermal systems, including— (1) reservoir stimulation; (2) drilled, non-stimulated (e.g. closed-loop) reservoir technologies; (3) reservoir characterization, monitoring, and modeling and understanding of the surface area and volume of fractures; (4) stress and fracture mapping including real time monitoring and modeling; (5) tracer development; (6) three and four-dimensional seismic imag- ing and tomography; (7) well placement and orientation; (8) long-term reservoir management; (9) drilling technologies, methods, and tools; (10) improved exploration tools; (11) zonal isolation; and (12) understanding induced seismicity risks from reservoir engineering and stimulation. (c) Frontier observatory for research in geo- thermal energy (1) In general The Secretary shall support the establish- ment and construction of up to 3 field research sites, which shall each be known as a ‘‘Fron- tier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy’’ or ‘‘FORGE’’ site to develop, test, and enhance techniques and tools for enhanced geothermal energy. (2) Duties The Secretary shall— (A) provide financial assistance in support of research and development projects fo- cused on advanced monitoring technologies, new technologies and approaches for imple- menting multi-zone stimulations, nonstimu- lation techniques, and dynamic reservoir modeling that incorporates all available high-fidelity characterization data; and (B) seek opportunities to coordinate ef- forts and share information with domestic and international partners engaged in re- search and development of geothermal sys- tems and related technology, including co- ordination between FORGE sites. (3) Site selection Of the FORGE sites referred to in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— (A) consider applications through a com- petitive, merit-reviewed process, from Na- tional Laboratories, multi-institutional col- laborations, institutes of higher education and other appropriate entities best suited to provide national leadership on geothermal related issues and perform the duties enu- merated under this subsection; (B) prioritize existing field sites and facili- ties with capabilities relevant to the duties enumerated under this subsection; (C) determine the mission need for and po- tential location of subsequent FORGE sites following the completion of construction and one year of operation of two FORGE sites; and (D) ensure geologic diversity among FORGE sites when developing subsequent sites, to the maximum extent practicable. (4) Existing forge sites A FORGE site already in existence on De- cember 27, 2020, may continue to receive sup- port.