[Graeme]

Energy future bright for oilfields

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')everal continuing and prospective energy-related projects ensure a bright future for the energy industry in West Texas, according to panelists at a forum sponsored by the West Texas Energy Technology Initiative.

He said the beauty of the coal gasification process is that what it produces — hydrogen and CO2 — can be used for other purposes. In the case of CO2, that other purpose is enhanced oil recovery operations.

Erdlac said he is now talking with two oil companies about the prospect of using abandoned wells for geothermal energy production. He said a recent government report noted the deepest wells throughout West Texas had water in them with temperatures nearing 400 degrees.
“We really don’t know how much water is out here,” Erdlac said. “There’s a lot of water, a lot of hot water.”
“The possibility that Texas has for using hot water for generating geothermal energy is fantastic,” he said.