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Geothermal energy project blamed for Pohang earthquake

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A high-pressure water injection from a nearby geothermal exploration project caused South Korea's Pohang earthquake in November 2017, according to a group of international scientists, including a Kiwi. The quake happened when the injection of water triggered a previously unknown fault, triggering a jolt that injured 135 people and caused up to NZ$460 million in economic losses. While that particular project has since been suspended, the authors say we need to get better at managing risk around the globe when it comes to energy production.

Journal/conference: Science

Link to research (DOI): 10.1126/science.aax1878

Organisation/s: Stanford University, USA | Victoria University of Wellington

Funder: This work was conducted during the Korean Government Commission (KGC) on the relations between the 2017 Pohang earthquake and EGS project, funded by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) grant from the Korean Government (MOTIE). K.-K.L., I.-W.Y., T.-S.K., J.R., D.-H.S., C.C., and J.-U.W. were members of the KGC’s Korean Expert Research Team. W.L.E., D.G., J.T., S.G., and T.S. were members of the KGC’s Overseas Research Advisory Committee.

Media Release

From: Victoria University of Wellington

Managing injection-induced seismic risks

Researchers from the United States, China, Switzerland, and New Zealand, including Victoria University of Wellington’s Professor John Townend, have released a paper in Science this week outlining their findings on the link between a 5.5 magnitude earthquake in Pohang, South Korea, and a nearby deep geothermal exploration project, and the implications for managing seismicity associated with energy production worldwide.

Professor Townend and his colleagues were appointed by the Geological Society of Korea to investigate the earthquake. The quake occurred in November 2017, injuring 135 residents of the city of Pohang and causing US$75 million in property damage and total economic impact of US$300 million. The researchers concluded that high-pressure fluid injection triggered the earthquake. The Pohang geothermal project has since been suspended.

“The Pohang geothermal project was intended to demonstrate the feasibility of enhanced geothermal systems in South Korea as the country tries to reduce its dependence on non-renewable energy,” Professor Townend explains. “These findings have implications not only for South Korea, but for other parts of the world pursuing similar geothermal projects. They also have broader ramifications for managing seismic risks associated with energy production, particularly when production facilities are located close to customers, and thus close to population centres and infrastructure."

Professor Townend notes that the "enhanced geothermal system" (EGS) being developed at Pohang is different from that being used to generate power in the central North Island. EGS involves actively trying to increase the ability of hot but impermeable rocks to transport fluid, whereas the systems in the central North Island are naturally permeable and have not required strong stimulation.

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