Abstract

Two options for supplying geothermal energy to the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) at Marlin, Texas were compared. One option is to drill a new production well on the VAMC property, and the other is to construct a 6900-ft pipeline from an existing geothermal well to the VAMC. Technical, economic, regulatory, and institutional issues were examined during the comparison. It was concluded that neither option possesses any significant cost or regulatory advantage over the other. The new well option does involve a risk, probably small, of hitting the expected geothermal resource, whereas the pipeline option involves no similar risk. However, the pipeline option will require right-of-way negotiations and a contractual agreement between the VAMC and the owners of the existing geothermal well. Assuming that a new well is successful, that option appears to be in the best interest of the VAMC. Document type: Report