News

With wells finalised, St1 moves on to building the geothermal heating plant

With wells finalised, St1 moves on to building the geothermal heating plant Drilling rig on project site in Otaniemi, Finland (source: St1)
Alexander Richter 5 Jun 2020

With work on the wells drilled for the Otaniemi geothermal heating project near Helsinki/ Finland, developer St1 is now moving forward preparing the site for the construction for the heating plant will begin.

In a release shared in late May 2020, St1 announces that the finalization phase for the company’s Otaniemi geothermal heat wells has been finished.

The hydraulic tests and counter-stimulation were finalised during the week 21. The work progressed according to plan and almost in the planned schedule. A broken tool caused a few days’ delay.

The effects of the measures were closely monitored in co-operation with the Institute of Seismology of the University of Helsinki. A monitoring system has been set up for the project, which enabled hydraulic tests and stimulation to be carried out in a very controlled manner – without endangering people or property. A measurement network installed deep in the rock was used to monitor both the flow of water and the micro-earthquakes that the work steps caused deep in the bedrock. Micro-earthquakes may have caused momentary sounds on the ground in nearby areas. Sound waves could have also resonated in windows and structures, but they did not pose a danger to people or damage structures.

The company apologizes for any noise nuisance caused by micro-earthquakes that may have occurred to residents in nearby areas during the finishing phase of the heat wells.

Next, drilling equipment will be dismantled at the Otaniemi construction site and construction of above-ground parts will begin.

Source: Company release