Monday, 8 November

Geothermal Power Generates Jobs

A recent report by the US Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) lists the types and numbers of new jobs that are expected to be introduced as more geothermal power plants are built in the States. GEA anticipates that 2011 will be a high-point of geothermal activity in the US under the stimulus legislation. There will be approximately 500 to 700 Megawatts of power projects in the final construction phase in 2011, and these projects will add approximately 3,000 construction jobs, primarily in Nevada and California.

The report states that the development of a geothermal resource is a significant undertaking requiring the input of degreed and technical professionals as well as the work and support of numerous "green"-collar workers. Many of the jobs supported during geothermal resource development play their most prominent roles in specific phases of the resource development timeline as shown in the following chart.

People with different qualifications are required during each phase of the project. During the start-up, the focus would be on obtaining permits from the state governments. Most of the people employed in this phase are expected to be employed by the legal and engineering consultancies.

Once an exploration permit is obtained, the actual exploration work starts. The exploration of a geothermal resource requires the expertise of professionals with both undergraduate and advanced degrees in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, engineering, and geographic information systems (GIS). The work also calls for the technical expertise of green-collar workers to support exploration drilling and the gathering of geophysical data. Consulting and management professionals are also needed to support development efforts. At least one to two consultants from an outside company will usually be contracted by a developer to review and provide a professional assessment of geothermal exploration data. The following table from the GEA report lists the types of jobs involved in geothermal exploration:

Once the exploration phase results in enough evidence indicating the presence of resource, the next phase is accessing the resource through drilling. In Australia, this phase is carried out either by the company itself (e.g. Geodynamics) or a drilling contractor (e.g. Petratherm and Panax). In either case, The drilling of a geothermal well is a complex and multi-faceted process requiring the support of multiple teams of specialized personnel such as engineers, geologists, welders, rig hands, cementing personnel, and drilling fluids personnel as well as site and safety managers as shown in the following table copied from the GEA report:

Additional supporting jobs for drilling are contracted out to vendors, e.g. casing installation (4-5 staff), directional drilling (5-7), well logging(2), and rig and fuel transport (45).

Once the resource is characterised, a team of 40-50 designers and engineers are employed in plant engineering and design as shown in the following table:

Once the actual construction of the geothermal power plant commences, the number and range of jobs needed to complete construction expands even further. Project overhead staff can number up to 40 people. Additionally, the EPC contractor will hire subcontractors to complete various aspects of geothermal power plant construction. Subcontractors or craftspeople involved in the construction of a 50-MW geothermal power plant can number from 300 to 400 workers during the final phases of plant construction when the amount of labor required to complete the project reaches its peak. There are various employment positions supported in this phase of geothermal project development as seen in the following table.

The plant construction stage may take up to 2 years and the numbers employed at the beginning are limited but reach the peak numbers shown in the table in the final stages of construction.

The above does not include the jobs generated through the manufacturers of equipment. The GEA report quotes one manufacturer of cooling systems for geothermal applications estimating that as many as 300 laborers getting involved in supplying fan stacks, gear boxes, drive shafts. Similar numbers will apply to the expanders and the other parts of the plant. In Australia, it will be a challenge for the local manufacturing industry to source a significant number of these positions domestically.

In conclusion, a geothermal project employs large numbers of professionals and supports a growing green collar industry starting from the early stages of leasing, permitting and exploration, to components of the geothermal supply chain, to later stages of production well drilling and plant construction, and finally, the continued operation and maintenance of a plant.

Welding at Jolokia (from Geodynamic web site)

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