GEMEx (Cooperation in Geothermal energy research Europe-Mexico for development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems and Superhot Geothermal Systems)
The GEMex project is comprised of two consortia: the European consortium, established under the EERA-JPGE (European Energy Research Alliance – Joint Programme on Geothermal Energy) and funded through the Horizon 2020 International Cooperation Programme, has 24 partners; the Mexican consortium is led by the University of Michoacán (UMSNH) and financed by the Mexican government through a special fund managed by the Secretariat of Energy (SENER) and Mexico's National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT).
GEMex represents the first step toward long-term cooperation aimed at testing and developing methodologies and technologies for the use of unconventional geothermal systems, particularly Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and Super Hot Geothermal Systems (SHGS), in which deep-sea fluids exceed temperatures of 350°C, currently unused with traditional technologies. Gemex is based on the premise that the use of hot-EGS and SHGS systems will significantly develop existing geothermal resources, enabling the multiplication of geothermal energy production.
Two sites have been selected to study these unconventional resources: Acoculco for the study of hot-EGS systems and Los Humeros for SHGS systems. The project's primary objective is to develop cutting-edge research methodologies that will lead to a better understanding of the subsurface characteristics of these unconventional and economically attractive systems, thus enabling the replicability of the conditions for using these resources in Europe and other parts of the world.
The specific objectives of the project are:
– accelerate geothermal development in Mexico and beyond, leveraging the expertise of European and Mexican researchers and operators;
– reduce mining risk through a thorough understanding of the resource's geological context;
– improve the resolution of geophysical images and identify deep reservoir structures through new methodological approaches;
– improve predictive models for the characterization and simulation of the geothermal reservoir;
– provide conceptual models for the sustainable development of the site.
The project structure includes eight work packages that will be completed in 36 months (the project is scheduled to end in September 2019). Specifically, within GEMex, the CNR contributes to the following work packages:
– WP 3 – Regional Resource Models,
– WP 4 – Tectonic control on fluid flow,
– WP 5 – Detection of deep structures,
– WP 6 – Reservoir characterization and conceptual models,
– WP 7 – Concepts for the development and utilization of EGS.
Furthermore, he is leader of WP 2 – Dissemination (WP leader: Eugenio Trumpy, IGG-CNR) and of the following activities:
– Task 2.1 – Strategic communication plan and communication campaign (Task leader: Adele Manzella, IGG-CNR);
– Task 2.2 – Website e
– Task 2.3 – Open access database (Task leader: Eugenio Trumpy, IGG-CNR);
– Task 3.3 – Analogue modelling (Task leader: Marco Bonini, IGG-CNR);
– Task 4.3 – Geochemical characterization and origin of cold and thermal fluids (Task leader: Matteo Lelli, IGG-CNR).