In July 2016, researchers and experts in geothermal energy from Germany, France, Switzerland and Korea conducted the first DESTRESS stakeholder workshop. In Seoul they discussed recent progresses of different EGS projects.

The workshop started with a guided tour at the EGS site in Pohang, conducted by the operator NexGeo Inc. Afterwards, the experts presented and discussed the monitoring system, the use of drilling fluids and hydraulic pumps, as well as initial stimulation results. A session of the DESTRESS work package 5 followed, addressing different EGS sites and research results.
Further, the participants had the opportunity to visit the Pohang headquarters of POSCO, one of the largest steel-producing companies in the world. The program continued with a seminar at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building (KICT). Günter Zimmermann, Arno Zang and Ove Stephansson (GFZ), Albert Genter (ÉS Géothermie) and Kwang Yeom Kim and Li Zhuang (both KIGAM) talked about hydraulic fracturing experiments in the laboratory and at test sites. A visit of the CT lab of the Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT) followed lunch. A second seminar, focusing on the Soultz Project and led by Albert Genter, took place at the Seoul National University the next day.
The programme was completed by the “Korea-Europe EGS Deep Geothermal Energy Workshop”. The attendees’ discussions focused on current project activities, new results in the field of hydraulic fracturing and induced seismicity including data monitoring and Discrete Element Modeling (DEM).

Peter Meier, Geo-Energie Suisse AG

PS: For physical access, DESTRESS offers workshops for knowledge exchange and in-depth training courses combining them with a visit to a P&D site whenever possible. The next opportunity to participate will be in 2017. Detailed information will be published on our website at least two months in advance and advertised in the DESTRESS newsletter. The programme takes place in DESTRESS´ partnering countries.