Assessment of geothermal resources and reserves in Denmark. A contribution to the geothermal ressource and reserve estimate of the European Community

Abstract

In 1979 the European Community (EC) Directorate-General for Research and Development invited the member states to look into the aspects of geothermal resource and reserve evaluation and practical implementation of the assessment exercise within the EC. From fall 1979 to fall 1981 a working group, in which Denmark was represented by E. Gosk, set-up guidelines for a description, classification, and evaluation of geothermal resources and reserves. The guidelines are basically those outlined by Muffler and Cataldi (1978), USGS Circ 790, and applied by Cataldi et al. (1978). Contractors working on geothermal energy within the EC were from 1982 involved in the assessment of geothermal resources and reserves. From Denmark the company Danish Oil and Natural Gas A/S (D.O.N.G. A/S) and the Geological Survey of Denmark (DGU) were invited to participate in the assessment. D.O.N.G. A/S was involved as the company had the concession on geothermal energy in Denmark and was making exploration drilling. DGU was involved as the survey up to that date had made the regional mapping of the reservoirs (Michelsen et al. 1981) and was involved in contract work for the EC. The contract (no. EG-B-3-005-DK(G)) between EC and DGU, 1981-1982, had the goal of investigating the reservoir properties of possible geothermal reservoir rocks. The study was terminated with the report "Geothermal Reservoirs in Denmark" (Priisholm et al. 1982). The above mentioned contract was by a First Supplementary Agreement extended to cover 1983 with the aim of making an assessment of the geothermal resources and reserves in Denmark. The work is terminated with this final report. The report is based on the general geological knowledge of the reservoir properties which are available at the survey from the previous studies and on data made available through the exploration activities of D.O.N.G. A/S. The evaluation of assessments has been carried out as a joint work where D.G.U. has contributed with the geology and reservoir data while Tage Sørensen A/S made the resource and reserve assessments.