Rig Zone’s Matthew Veazey Interview With CeraPhi Energy CEO Karl Farrow On Geothermal Energy A Different Kind Of Renewable Resource 13 May 2021 A topic that has received considerable interest in the oil and gas community recently is exploiting geothermal energy. In April Rigzone presented one company’s insights on the potential for tapping into geothermal via some abandoned oil and gas wells. Given recent curiosity about geothermal, and to explore geothermal-oil and gas collaboration opportunities, Rigzone has sought out additional perspectives on the renewable resource and will present them in the coming days. One such voice is Karl Farrow, CEO of the geothermal project development firm CeraPhi Energy. “Geothermal energy is the next and future source of baseload energy and it’s not a struggle against oil and gas,” Farrow told Rigzone. “It’s an important tool in the evolution of how we will produce energy with results and benefits we now demand for a sustainable future.” Farrow also offered Rigzone his observations on a unique characteristic of geothermal among renewables, who could benefit from sourcing geothermal from abandoned oil and gas wells, and more. Read on for his insights. Rigzone: What makes geothermal stand out as a renewable resource? Karl Farrow: Geothermal is the only 24/7 100% clean source of baseload energy, meaning that it can provide continuous energy in theory forever. There are more than 6 billion years of stored energy under our feet, which is primarily the heat from the earth’s core radiating out trying to naturally escape. Geothermal is effectively the core’s heat connecting with natural subsurface water systems that create natural thermal gradients. In a market context, as a baseload resource geothermal energy is the only renewable resource that does not require ancillary services in order to be integrated into the grid – which is a significant cost and output issue for all variable dispatch resources, including wind and solar. In fact, the ability to produce geothermal energy either inside or within close proximity to populated areas will actually serve to reduce the demand for long-distance transmission and ancillary services. Rigzone: We keep hearing the term “energy transition.” Where do you see geothermal fitting in with the energy transition, particularly in North America? Farrow: The exploration of oil and gas has revolutionized the last 100 years of development on earth in both technology and infrastructure. Oil and gas is possibly one of the largest economic sectors globally, with most countries having some kind of business related to it. As we have scaled our global economy over the last 100 years, we have seen a natural negative effect on the environment specifically through energy demand and production. This activity continues. The transition now away from fossil-burning fuels is a natural turning point resulting from our wider understanding of sustainability. Renewable energy provides the commercial alternative that fills the gap, and geothermal further fills the gap as a baseload source of energy. Importantly, geothermal development is enabled by and relies upon all the expertise and technologies developed within the oil and gas sector over the last century, meaning the existing supply chains, resources and expertise will drive and support this particular element of the energy transition. We will always need oil and gas for certain essential purposes, but if we can position ourselves in a carbon-neutral environment with geothermal as a baseload energy provider, from an energy perspective then a massive shift into a real positive energy transition will occur. Rigzone: In the context of converting orphaned oil and gas wells to geothermal, who do you see as the primary end-users among industrial, residential, and/or commercial markets? Farrow: All of the above, specifically with utilization of heat. We currently use a vast amount of energy from electricity to produce heat and cooling. If we were to use just the heat from geothermal efficiently for industrial, commercial, and residential uses more effectively, that in itself would make a significant impact on our ability to decarbonize. Having a baseload energy working alongside other forms of renewables such as wind and solar will make a significant contribution towards immediate carbon reduction targets, while additionally, the repurposing of oil and gas wells represents a new tool for the management of plugging and abandonment (P&A) obligations and liabilities. Within the energy sector geothermal can provide targeted energy services across upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors, while from the investment perspective they place hard assets in the ESG (Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance) column which addresses a clear and present mandate. Finally, stranded well sites and/or fields offer energy supply solutions which could support the development of micro-grid and/or small energy hubs which, as mentioned above, can significantly reduce the cost, stability, and reliability issues with the power grad and transmission system. Rigzone: What are some misconceptions that someone in the oil and gas sector might have regarding geothermal? In other words, what might seem far-fetched about geothermal but actually is not? Farrow: I think there are three key points to mention with respect to misconceptions about geothermal energy. Perhaps the biggest misconception is that geothermal energy can only be produced where volcanic and natural fault systems are present. This assumption is primarily due to the fact that most conventional geothermal projects have been historically developed where thermal gradients are relatively shallow. However, geothermal energy production is simply the use of heat and the heat is everywhere. We have drilled millions of wells around the earth over 100-plus years in oil and gas, and we know from logging these wells that the deeper you drill the hotter it gets and thus accessing the right temperatures anywhere can be achieved. In simple terms, by just focusing on accessing and transferring heat and inducing an activator fluid you then produce thermal energy through vapor expansion which is sufficient to turn a turbine. The hotter the temperature, the greater the thermal reaction when fluid is introduced. Second, there are misconceptions that stem from the “hybrid” structure of geothermal energy production: the oil and gas sector tends to