Advanced Geothermal Research and Development Act of 2019

IB Union Calendar No. 401 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 5374 [Report No. 116–500, Part I] To establish and support advanced geothermal research and development programs at the Department of Energy, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DECEMBER 10, 2019 Mr. LUCAS (for himself and Ms. JOHNSON of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech- nology, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com- mittee concerned SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 Reported from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 Committee on Education and Labor discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on December 10, 2019] VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 5374 RH A BILL To establish and support advanced geothermal research and development programs at the Department of Energy, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 5374 RH Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ad- 4 vanced Geothermal Research and Development Act of 5 2019’’. 6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 7 this Act is as follows: 8 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Definitions. Sec. 3. Hydrothermal research and development. Sec. 4. General geothermal systems research and development. Sec. 5. Enhanced geothermal systems research and development. Sec. 6. Geothermal heat pumps and direct use. Sec. 7. Cost sharing and proposal evaluation. Sec. 8. Advanced geothermal computing and data science research and develop- ment. Sec. 9. Geothermal workforce development. Sec. 10. Organization and administration of programs. Sec. 11. Repeals. Sec. 12. Authorization of appropriations. Sec. 13. International geothermal energy development. Sec. 14. Reauthorization of High Cost Region Geothermal Energy Grant Pro- gram. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 9 Section 612 of the Energy Independence and Security 10 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17191) is amended— 11 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol- 12 lows: 13 ‘‘(1) ENGINEERED.—When referring to enhanced 14 geothermal systems, the term ‘engineered’ means de- 15 signed to access subsurface heat, including stimula- 16 tion and nonstimulation technologies to address one 17 or more of the following issues: 18 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 5374 RH ‘‘(A) Lack of effective permeability, porosity 1 or open fracture connectivity within the heat res- 2 ervoir. 3 ‘‘(B) Insufficient contained geofluid in the 4 heat reservoir. 5 ‘‘(C) A low average geothermal gradient 6 which necessitates deeper drilling, or the use of 7 alternative heat sources or heat generation proc- 8 esses.’’; 9 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (7) 10 as paragraphs (3) through (8), respectively; and 11 (3) by adding after paragraph (1) the following: 12 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible enti- 13 ty’ means any of the following entities: 14 ‘‘(A) An institution of higher education. 15 ‘‘(B) A National laboratory. 16 ‘‘(C) A Federal research agency. 17 ‘‘(D) A State research agency. 18 ‘‘(E) A nonprofit research organization. 19 ‘‘(F) An industrial entity. 20 ‘‘(G) A consortium of 2 or more entities de- 21 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (F).’’. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 5374 RH SEC. 3. HYDROTHERMAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 1 Section 613 of the Energy Independence and Security 2 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17192) is amended to read as fol- 3 lows: 4 ‘‘SEC. 613. HYDROTHERMAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOP- 5 MENT. 6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a 7 program of research, development, demonstration, and com- 8 mercial application for geothermal energy production from 9 hydrothermal systems. 10 ‘‘(b) PROGRAMS.—The program authorized in sub- 11 section (a) shall include the following: 12 ‘‘(1) ADVANCED HYDROTHERMAL RESOURCE 13 TOOLS.—The research and development of advanced 14 geologic tools to assist in locating hydrothermal re- 15 sources, and to increase the reliability of site charac- 16 terization, including the development of new imaging 17 and sensing technologies and techniques to assist in 18 prioritization of targets for characterization; 19 ‘‘(2) EXPLORATORY DRILLING FOR GEOTHERMAL 20 RESOURCES.—The demonstration of advanced tech- 21 nologies and techniques of siting and exploratory 22 drilling for undiscovered resources in a variety of geo- 23 logic settings, carried out in collaboration with indus- 24 try partners that will assist in the acquisition of high 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 5374 RH quality data sets relevant for hydrothermal subsurface 1 characterization activities’’. 2 SEC. 4. GENERAL GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND 3 DEVELOPMENT. 4 Section 614 of the Energy Independence and Security 5 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17193) is amended to read as fol- 6 lows: 7 ‘‘SEC. 614. GENERAL GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 8 AND DEVELOPMENT. 9 ‘‘(a) SUBSURFACE COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS.—The 10 Secretary shall support a program of research, development, 11 demonstration, and commercial application of components 12 and systems capable of withstanding geothermal environ- 13 ments and necessary to develop, produce, and monitor geo- 14 thermal reservoirs and produce geothermal energy. 15 ‘‘(b) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS.—The Secretary 16 shall— 17 ‘‘(1) support a program of research, development, 18 demonstration, and commercial application of tech- 19 nologies and practices designed to mitigate or pre- 20 clude potential adverse environmental impacts of geo- 21 thermal energy development, production or use; and 22 ‘‘(2) support a research program to identify po- 23 tential environmental impacts, including induced 24 seismicity, and environmental benefits of geothermal 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 5374 RH energy development, production, and use, and ensure 1 that the program described in paragraph (1) address- 2 es such impacts, including water use and effects on 3 groundwater and local hydrology; 4 ‘‘(3) support a program of research to compare 5 the potential environmental impacts and environ- 6 mental benefits identified as part of the development, 7 production, and use of geothermal energy with the po- 8 tential emission reductions of greenhouse gases gained 9 by geothermal energy development, production, and 10 use; and 11 ‘‘(4) in carrying out this section, the Secretary 12 shall, to the maximum extent practicable, consult 13 with relevant federal agencies, including the Environ- 14 mental Protection Agency. 15 ‘‘(c) RESERVOIR THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE.—The 16 Secretary shall support a program of research, development, 17 and demonstration of reservoir thermal energy storage, em- 18 phasizing cost-effective improvements through deep direct 19 use engineering, design, and systems research. 20 ‘‘(d) OIL AND GAS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER INITIA- 21 TIVE.— 22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support 23 an initiative among the Office of Fossil Energy, the 24 Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 5374 RH and the private sector to research, develop, and dem- 1 onstrate relevant advanced technologies and operation 2 techniques used in the oil and gas sector for use in 3 geothermal energy development. 4 ‘‘(2) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out paragraph 5 (1), the Secretary shall prioritize technologies with the 6 greatest potential to significantly increase the use and 7 lower the cost of geothermal energy in the United 8 States, including the cost and speed of geothermal 9 drilling surface technologies, and well construction. 10 ‘‘(e) COPRODUCTION OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY AND 11 MINERALS PRODUCTION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 12 INITIATIVE.— 13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 14 out a research and development initiative under 15 which the Secretary shall award grants to dem- 16 onstrate the coproduction of critical minerals from 17 geothermal resources. 18 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—An award made under 19 paragraph (1) shall— 20 ‘‘(A) improve the cost effectiveness of remov- 21 ing minerals from geothermal brines as part of 22 the coproduction process; 23 ‘‘(B) increase recovery rates of the targeted 24 mineral commodity; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 5374 RH ‘‘(C) decrease water use and other environ- 1 mental impacts, as determined by the Secretary; 2 and 3 ‘‘(D) demonstrate a path to commercial via- 4 bility. 5 ‘‘(f) FLEXIBLE OPERATIONS.—The Secretary shall 6 support a research initiative on flexible operation of geo- 7 thermal power plants. 8 ‘‘(g) HYBRID ENERGY SYSTEMS.—The Secretary shall 9 identify opportunities for joint research, development, and 10 demonstration programs between geothermal systems and 11 other energy generation or storage systems.’’. 12 SEC. 5. ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND 13 DEVELOPMENT. 14 Section 615 of the Energy Independence and Security 15 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17194) is amended to read as fol- 16 lows: 17 ‘‘SEC. 615. ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 18 AND DEVELOPMENT. 19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support a pro- 20 gram of research, development, demonstration, and commer- 21 cial application for enhanced geothermal systems, including 22 the programs described in subsection (b). 23 ‘‘(b) ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS TECH- 24 NOLOGIES.—In collaboration with industry partners, insti- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 5374 RH tutions of higher education, and the national laboratories, 1 the Secretary shall support a program of research, develop- 2 ment, demonstration, and commercial application of the 3 technologies to achieve higher efficiency and lower cost en- 4 hanced geothermal systems, including— 5 ‘‘(1) reservoir stimulation; 6 ‘‘(2) drilled, non-stimulated (e.g. closed-loop) res- 7 ervoir technologies; 8 ‘‘(3) reservoir characterization, monitoring, and 9 modeling and understanding of the surface area and 10 volume of fractures; 11 ‘‘(4) stress and fracture mapping including real 12 time monitoring and modeling; 13 ‘‘(5) tracer development; 14 ‘‘(6) three and four-dimensional seismic imaging 15 and tomography; 16 ‘‘(7) well placement and orientation; 17 ‘‘(8) long-term reservoir management; 18 ‘‘(9) drilling technologies, methods, and tools; 19 ‘‘(10) improved exploration tools; 20 ‘‘(11) zonal isolation; and 21 ‘‘(12) understanding induced seismicity risks 22 from reservoir engineering and stimulation. 23 ‘‘(c) FRONTIER OBSERVATORY FOR RESEARCH IN 24 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY.—The Secretary shall support the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 5374 RH establishment and construction of up to 3 field research 1 sites, which shall each be known as a ‘Frontier Observatory 2 for Research in Geothermal Energy’ or ‘FORGE’ site to de- 3 velop, test, and enhance techniques and tools for enhanced 4 geothermal energy. 5 ‘‘(1) DUTIES.—The Secretary shall— 6 ‘‘(A) award grants in support of research 7 and development projects focused on advanced 8 monitoring technologies, new technologies and 9 approaches for implementing multi-zone stimula- 10 tions, nonstimulation techniques, and dynamic 11 reservoir modeling that incorporates all available 12 high-fidelity characterization data; and 13 ‘‘(B) seek opportunities to coordinate efforts 14 and share information with domestic and inter- 15 national partners engaged in research and devel- 16 opment of geothermal systems and related tech- 17 nology, including coordination between FORGE 18 sites. 19 ‘‘(2) SITE SELECTION.—Of the FORGE sites re- 20 ferred to in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 21 ‘‘(A) consider applications through a com- 22 petitive, merit-reviewed process, from National 23 Laboratories, multi-institutional collaborations, 24 institutes of higher education and other appro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 5374 RH priate entities best suited to provide national 1 leadership on geothermal related issues and per- 2 form the duties enumerated under this sub- 3 section; and 4 ‘‘(B) prioritize existing field sites and fa- 5 cilities with capabilities relevant to the duties 6 enumerated under this subsection. 7 ‘‘(3) EXISTING FORGE SITES.—A FORGE site 8 already in existence on the date of enactment of this 9 Act may continue to receive support. 10 ‘‘(4) FUNDING.—Out of funds authorized to be 11 appropriated under section 12 of the ‘Advanced Geo- 12 thermal Research and Development Act of 2019’, there 13 shall be made available to the Secretary to carry out 14 the FORGE activities under this paragraph— 15 ‘‘(A) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 16 ‘‘(B) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; 17 ‘‘(C) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; 18 ‘‘(D) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; and 19 ‘‘(E) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2025. 20 In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall con- 21 sider the balance between funds dedicated to construc- 22 tion and operations and research activities to reflect 23 the state of site development. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO [Text truncated for display. 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