i was in, page-11

Habanero incident could delay pilot plant: Geodynamics

Wednesday, 13 May 2009

GEODYNAMICS has warned of a possible six to nine-month delay in the commissioning of the 1-megawatt pilot plant at the Innamincka joint venture in the Cooper Basin due to an incident at the Habanero-3 well.

The incident, which occurred on April 24, resulted in water and steam flowing to the surface.

The company says water and steam continue to flow from the well but it has analysed the well conditions and designed a work program to stop the flow.

Equipment to carry out the program is currently being mobilised to site and the company expects to attempt to stop the flow within the next one to two weeks.

Once the flow has been stopped, Habanero-3 will be examined to determine the cause of the incident and assess the future implications for the well.

“On the available information, these events could delay the commissioning of the 1MW pilot plant by approximately six to nine months. However, the incident at Habanero-3 does not affect the company’s long-term plans to develop competitive geothermal energy,” Geodynamics said in a statement.