Northern Thailand geothermal resources and development - A review and 2012 update

• Main Authors: Singharajwarapan F., Wood S., Prommakorn N., Owens L.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84876237282&origin=inward; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/42717
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

Northern Thailand has 16 hot spring systems with surface temperatures near or greater than 80°C with potential for binary plant power generation. Presently only Fang system generates power from wells flowing a total of 8.3 1/s of 116°C water to a 300 kW single module Ormat binary plant. Current production is 150-250 KW, which potentially can be increased by constructing new wells and increasing flow by pumping. Of the other 15 systems, 4 are in national parks and not considered for development. Several of the hot springs systems have silica geoihermometry > 130°C suggesting significant undeveloped resources exist in northern Thailand. Certainly the San Kamphaeng hot springs have the greatest known potential (estimated ∼5MW) but like most of the systems it is associated with high-angle faulting and drilling has yet to find permeable zones yielding high flows ( > 111/s). The current project of the Thailand Department of Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) will survey these prospects with the intention of installing a small plant of 2-10 MW.