Dilemma of Spent Geothermal Water Injection into Rock Masses for Geothermal Potential Development

Agnieszka Operacz (), Bogusław Bielec, Tomasz Operacz, Agnieszka Zachora-Buławska and Karolina Migdał
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Agnieszka Operacz: Department of Sanitary Engineering and Water Management, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza Av. 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Bogusław Bielec: Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Wybickiego 7A Str., 31-261 Krakow, Poland
Tomasz Operacz: Polish Geological Institute—National Research Institute, Carpathian Branch in Krakow, Skrzatów 1 Str., 31-560 Krakow, Poland
Agnieszka Zachora-Buławska: Department of Sanitary Engineering and Water Management, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza Av. 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
Karolina Migdał: Department of Sanitary Engineering and Water Management, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza Av. 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-21

Abstract: The global shift towards the use of renewable energy is essential to ensure sustainable development, and geothermal energy stands out as a suitable option that can support various cascading projects. Spent geothermal water (SGW) requires proper treatment to ensure that it does not become an environmental burden. Typically, companies often face the dilemma of choosing between discharging spent geothermal water (SGW) into surface waters or injecting it into rock masses, and the economic and environmental impacts of the decision made determines the feasibility of geothermal plant development. In this study, we aimed to comprehensively assess the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of SGW injection into rock masses. To this end, we employed a comprehensive analytical approach using the Chochołów GT-1 geothermal injection borehole in Poland as a reference case. We also performed drilling and hydrogeological testing, characterized rock samples in the laboratory, and corrected hydrodynamic parameters for thermal lift effects to ensure accurate aquifer characterization. The results obtained highlight the importance of correcting hydrogeological parameters for thermal effects, which if neglected can lead to a significant overestimation of the calculated hydrogeological parameters. Based on our analysis, we developed a framework for assessing SGW injection feasibility that integrates detailed hydrogeological and geotechnical analyses with environmental risk assessment to ensure sustainable geothermal resource exploitation. This framework should be mandatory for planning new geothermal power plants or complexes worldwide. Our results also emphasize the need for adequate SGW management so as to ensure that the benefits of using a renewable and zero-emission resource, such as geothermal energy, are not compromised by the low absorption capacity of rock masses or adverse environmental effects.

Keywords: geothermal water; rock mass absorption capacity; spent water injection; environmental risk; economic feasibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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