Investigating the Geothermal Potentiality of Hail Granites, Northern KSA: The Preliminary Results

Aref Lashin (), Oussama Makhlouf, Faisal K. Zaidi and Abdulmalek Amin Noman
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Aref Lashin: Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
Oussama Makhlouf: Technology Experts Company for Trading and Contracting, Riyadh 13243, Saudi Arabia
Faisal K. Zaidi: Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Abdulmalek Amin Noman: Technology Experts Company for Trading and Contracting, Riyadh 13243, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-30

Abstract: The work aims to give a preliminary investigation of the geothermal potentiality of the hot dry granitic rocks in the Hail area, Northern KSA. The Hail area is characterized by a massive exposed belt of radioactive granitic rocks in the southern part, while the northern part is covered by a sedimentary section. A comprehensive methodology utilizing different categories of mineralogical petrographic, geochemical, geophysical well logging and, radiometry datasets, was used to assess the radiogenic heat production capacity of this granite. The measured data are integrated and interpreted to quantify the potential geothermal capacity of the granite and estimate its possible power production. The radioactivity and radiogenic heat production (RHP) of the Hail granites are among the highest recorded values in Saudi Arabia. Land measurements indicate uranium, thorium, potassium, and RHP values of 17.80 ppm, 90.0 ppm, 5.20%, and 11.93 µW/m 3 , respectively. The results indicated the presence of a reasonable subsurface geothermal reservoir condition with heat flow up to 99.87 mW/M 2 and a reservoir temperature of 200 °C (5 km depth). Scenarios for energy production through injecting water and high-pressure CO 2 in the naturally/induced fractured rock are demonstrated. Reserve estimate revealed that at a 2% heat recovery level, the Hail granites could generate about 3.15 × 10 16 MWe, contributing to an average figure of 3.43 × 10 12 kWh/y, for annual energy per capita Saudi share. The results of this study emphasized the potential contribution of the Hail granite in the future of the energy mix of KSA, as a new renewable and sustainable resource. It is recommended to enhance the surface geophysical survey in conjunction with a detailed thermo-mechanical laboratory investigation to delineate the subsurface orientation and geometry of the granite and understand its behavior under different temperature and pressure conditions.

Keywords: geothermal potentiality; enhanced geothermal systems (EGS); radiogenic heat production; reserve estimation; Hail granite; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4656-:d:1659138

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