Carpenter warms to geothermal energy

HOT rocks" 7km below the earth's surface could soon be used to produce power for Western Australia.
Premier Alan Carpenter said vast amounts of clean, green energy could be drawn from the hot granite rocks, which have temperatures of up to 300C.
He said geothermal energy was created by passing water over the hot, dry rocks and using the heated water to generate power.
Mr Carpenter said the Government would legislate next year to provide a clear legal framework for companies to pursue large-scale geothermal energy projects and called for expressions of interest from companies wanting to harness the hot-rock power.
The call was answered immediately by local company HGR Energy, which confirmed it would apply for a geothermal exploration licence.
HGR director Tony Veitch said its desktop analysis showed prospective areas in Western Australia for geothermal production and the company wanted to move to the exploration and drilling phase as soon as possible.
While hot-rocks technology is still to be commercially proven, considerable activity has already begun in South Australia and NSW to prove it is possible.
Mr Carpenter claimed Western Australia had an edge over the other states because its hot-rock deposits were near populated areas all over the state.
He said exploration elsewhere was mainly in remote areas.
As well, Western Australia was at the forefront in deep-drilling technology from its oil and gas industry.
"We are the masters," Mr Carpenter said.
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