Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 71 (2017) 687696

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Review of geothermal energy development eorts in Pakistan and way MARK

forward

Irfan Ahmad Gondala, , Syed Athar Masoodb, Muhammad Amjadc
a
National University of Sciences & Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
b
International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan
c
University of Engineering & Technology, Taxila, Pakistan

A R T I C L E I N F O A BS T RAC T

Keywords: One of the ways to address the woes of energy crisis eectively in the developing world is through the use of
Geothermal energy Geothermal energy resources. This paper discusses the Geothermal technologies in use globally with emphasis
Sustainable energy on the development paths. The development eorts in Pakistan are discussed focusing on the areas requiring
Shallow geothermal attention. It has been found that while considerable potential for Geothermal energy is available in the form of
HDR
Hydrothermal resources and Hot Dry rocks, however no appreciable practical steps have been undertaken in
Pakistan
this regard. Shallow geothermal energy and Direct-use of Geothermal energy that is independent of terrain and
resource has also not been pursued in Pakistan. The study discusses the stages of development, the current
status of Geothermal energy in Pakistan and identies the steps for initiating progress.
Further, it is an established fact that the maximum consumption of energy in the domestic and industrial
sector is in HVAC and process heat respectively. Shallow geothermal energy can fulll this demand eciently.
Government support can play an important role in developing the Geothermal resource of the country. A
number of steps have been suggested for the Government as well as research institutions that can inject impetus
and enhance the pace of development of this signicant but ignored Energy resource in the developing world.

1. Introduction
Globally Renewable energy provided an estimated 19% of the total
nal energy consumption for the year 2012. Of this total share, 9%
accounted for traditional Biomass and 3.8% for hydropower. Amongst
the modern Renewables, Solar/Wind and Geothermal provided for an
estimated 5.4% of the total share (Fig. 1). The share of Geothermal
resource on the whole may seem to be relatively insignicant however
an in-depth analysis reveals that the potential, prospects and growth of
this important resource is very promising.
In 2013, Geothermal resources provided electrical energy and
power for HVAC applications amounting to a total of 600 PJ
(167 TWh). About 50% of this i.e.76 TWh was in the form of
Geothermal electricity generation [1].
In 2014, the total global geothermal capacity reached 12.8 GW, of
which 640 MW came online in the same year. The growth rate of
cumulative capacity is recorded at 5.3% compared to an annual growth
rate of 3.6% for the preceding years i.e. 2009 through 2014.
Geothermal energy has attracted great interest worldwide owing to
the reliability issues of fossil fuels, depleting stocks of the tapped
resources and to oset the eects of climate change. This has been
discussed in detail in the 2014 Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal
Power Production Report [2]. According to this report the Geothermal
growth for the year 2014 has been recorded at 45% with 700 projects
under development in 76 countries. Most of the countries under-
standing the threat from climate change are investing in Geothermal
projects for meeting the base-load requirements with additional
demand met from other exible renewable resources. These countries
range from small developing states to huge economies like China and
USA. The geothermal projects in pipeline would have a cumulative
capacity of 13500 MW by 2017 if they are completed in the scheduled
time frame ( Fig. 2).
The size of the geothermal-based power plants range from a few
MWs to 100 MW. The practicability is further evident from the fact that
in United States, the average size of geothermal power plant is 25 MW
while those under installation in Ethiopia and Kenya (least developing
countries) are rated at 100 MW [2]. The growth in geothermal
development is so quick in some countries for example Indonesia
which has a planned capacity addition of 4400 MW equivalent to that
of United States. Fig. 3 gives a country wise overview of the capacity

Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: iag@yahoo.com, drirfanagondal@gmail.com (I.A. Gondal), athar.masood@iiu.edu.pk (S.A. Masood), mamjadbhatti@hotmail.com (M. Amjad).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.12.097
Received 14 August 2015; Received in revised form 12 December 2016; Accepted 23 December 2016
Available online 03 January 2017
1364-0321/ 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
I.A. Gondal et al.
Fig. 1. Estimated Renewable Energy Share of Global Final Energy Consumption, 2012
[1].
addition of over 50 MW power plants.
Tables 1, 2 list the countries with established Geothermal power
plants and those under development respectively.
Theoretically the global potential of geothermal energy surpasses all
other renewable sources, however investment in geothermal projects is
the least as compared to other alternate energy resources. World
Energy Assessment report of the United Nations (2000) for the global
potential placed Geothermal at the top of all renewable energy
resources at 5000 EJ/yr, Solar 1575, Wind 640, Biomass 276, Hydro
50, giving a total of 7541 EJ/yr [3]. Global Energy Assessment [4] lists
geothermal energy as the resources with the highest technical potential
amongst the Renewable resources second only to Solar energy.
Another signicant attribute of Geothermal energy usage is its high
capacity factor in Power plants. Table 3 lists the capacity factor for four
major renewable energy resources.
Geothermal energy is already playing a signicant role in many
countries of the south. Amongst the top 15 producers of electricity from
geothermal, 10 are developing countries including Philippines, Kenya,
Indonesia, Mexico and several Central American states. Also with
improvements in technology, countries and regions outside the tec-
tonic/volcanic belt can also benet from direct use of Geothermal
energy.
As far as South Asian region is considered, neighboring countries
like India, Vietnam and Burma also have Geothermal projects under
development.
Pakistan is an energy decient country drawing most of its energy
Fig. 2. International Geothermal Power Capacity [2].
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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 71 (2017) 687696
supplies based on imported fossil fuels. The country has vast potential
of Renewable energy resources however the same are yet to be
exploited for practical use and power generation. The oil import bill
for the nancial year 201415 is estimated at around US $15.5 billion
[6] which amounts to almost 200% of the national export earnings [7].
The prole of Electricity generation by fuel shown in Fig. 4 indicates
that Hydro, Natural gas and oil all have an almost equal contribution to
power generation. Renewable resources have no share in the almost
100,000 GWh electricity production.
Among the Renewable resources various projects pertaining to
solar, wind and biomass are under way in various stages of develop-
ment as per reports of Pakistan's Alternate Energy Development Board
(AEDB) [8]. Renewable energy projects and initiatives though encoura-
ging are relatively slow owing to various socio-economic factors,
however Geothermal energy has so far remained a neglected eld
although the potential is promising. This study discusses the eorts
made so far in the development of Geothermal resources for power
generation, and recommends measures for future planning.
2. Geothermal status-Pakistan
We now take a look at the current status of Geothermal develop-
ment in Pakistan.
2.1. Studies
Published literature indicates studies as old as 1975 [9] when Abid
rst evaluated the geothermal resources of Pakistan. In 1982,
Tahirkheli and Khan [10] investigated the geology of Himalaya,
Karakorum and Hindukush. From early 80s till early 90 s various
geological surveys were undertaken by the Geological Survey of
Pakistan resulting in the discovery of various thermal springs of
Pakistan depicted in Fig. In 1994 Hussain et al. [11] investigated the
chemical characteristics of Geothermal waters of Northern areas of
Pakistan. Hussain concluded that most of the sites have estimated
reservoir temperatures in excess of 150 C and suggested that further
exploration to assess the potential of the sites for economic production
of electricity is required. Bakht [12] presented an overview of
Geothermal resources of Pakistan during the World Geothermal
Congress.
Zaigham and Nayyer [13] have concluded that the surface geologi-
I.A. Gondal et al. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 71 (2017) 687696

Fig. 3. Nations with over 50 MW Geothermal capacity addition.

Table 1 cal setup and the deep-seated basement tectonic features indicate
Countries with established Geothermal plants. bright prospect for development of HDR geothermal energy resources
to generate electricity and/or direct heat in Pakistan particularly in
Name Capacity (MW) areas close to the main urban and/or industrial centers where there are
1. United States 3442
no hot springs and/or geysers exist. Further if HDR prospects are
2. Philippines 1904 developed, they can oer the sustainable, CO2-free and independent of
3. Indonesia 1333 time, of day, of weather or season, and the base-load energy-generation
4. Mexico 1005 resource.
5. Italy 901
At the national level, Government of Pakistan's has devised an
6. New Zealand 895
7. Iceland 664 Integrated energy plan for the period 20092022 [14] which has been
8. Japan 537 published by the Expert Energy Group. This plan remains unclear
about the potential of Geothermal energy. Similarly EOI has been
issued for the development of a geothermal power plant for the
Parliament building in 2009 [15] however there is practically no
groundwork on the subject.
Table 2
Countries with Geothermal plants under development.

Name Capacity (MW) 2.2. Geothermal resource locations

1. Turkey 275
2. Kenya 237 Globally the high enthalpy geothermal resources are within seismic
3. Costa Rica 208 belts associated with zones of crystal weakness such as plate margins
4. El Salvador 204 and centers of volcanic activity. A global seismic belt passes through
5. Nicaragua 104
Pakistan and the country has a long geological history of geotectonic
6. Russia 97
7. New Guinea 56
events.
8. Guatemala 42 The geotectonic framework of Pakistan suggests that the country is
9. Portugal 29 rich in geothermal resources that can be exploited on a commercial
10. Germany 29 level. This view is supported by the extensive development of alteration
zones and fumaroles, the existence of quite a good number of hot
springs as well as indications of Quaternary volcanism.
Table 3
Capacity factor comparison [5].

Sr. No Technology Capacity Factor

2.2.1. Geopressurised systems
1. Geothermal 8997 In geo-pressurised systems, the normal heat ow is trapped by
2. Biomass 80 insulating impermeable beds in a rapidly subsiding sedimentary basin.
3. Wind 2640 In Pakistan such geopressure zones are present within the Indus River
4. Solar 22.532.2
basin in southern Sindh province along the western margin of the
The net capacity factor of a power plant is the ratio of its actual output over a period of Indus Plain and in the Potwar Basin of Punjab province. The available
time, to its potential output if it were possible for it to operate at full nameplate capacity information indicate the association of the geothermal zones with
continuously over the same period of time. south-Sulaiman, south-Kirthar, and Lower Indus geological structures.

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I.A. Gondal et al.
2.2.2. Seismo-tectonic & suture related systems
Geothermal regimes in the northern part of Pakistan, as manifested
by many thermal springs, are associated with sutures and related
structures. This part of the country is comprised of Karakorum,
Hindukush and Himalayan thrust mountainous belts, which show very
strong seismicity activities. The hot spring sites of Chitral region are
associated with the Hindukush fault system. In Gilgit-Hunza region the
hot springs of Murtazabad, Budelas, Sassi and Dassu are associated
with Main Karakorum Thrust (MKT), whereas the hot springs of Tatta
Pani, Sassi, and Mushkin are associated with the Main Mantle Thrust
(MMT). As to the heat sources, the obvious evidence such as the
existence of a young volcano is not found in this part of the country.
However, the heat generated due to friction along the MKT, MMT or
the Hindukush fault system and the that due to radioactive decay of the
Karakorum granodiorites are likely the source of heat giving rise to the
thermal springs.
In Garm Chashma valley about 50 km northwest of Chitral, thermal
springs are located within the Reshun and Ayun fault domain.
In the western part of the Hunza Valley, the thermal springs are
associated with the geothermal system of the Main Karakorum Thrust
(MKT). One cluster of ve springs is near Murtazabad village, which is
situated within 7 km of the MKT. The water temperature of these
springs ranges from about 2691 C. The reservoir temperature at this
site has been estimated to range from 198 C to 212 C. Farther to the
southeast, in the Skardu District, two sulphur springs and three hot
springs have been reported in the Dassu area.
In other parts of the Indus and Balochistan sedimentary basins,
geothermal manifestations in the form of hot springs are scattered,
associated mainly with seismotectonic and suture zones. Three hot
springs are located in the foothill region of the Kirthar Range west of
Dhadar, near Sanni, and south of Thal (Fig. 4). They appear along the
Mach and Kirthar faults at the northwestern edge of the Kirthar Range
which has a pile of sediments more than 10 km thick, which is a region
of high seismicity also. Hot springs are present in many parts of
Balochistan, associated with faults, which show signicant seismic
activity.
Fig. 4. Electricity generation by fuel.
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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 71 (2017) 687696
2.2.3. Geothermal systems related to neogene-quaternary volcanism
Geothermal systems associated with the Chagai Magmatic Arc are
manifested by mineralized thermal springs, which are largely conned
to the Koh-e-Sultan volcano. In the Koh-e-Sultan geothermal system,
the reservoir temperatures estimated on the basis of the silica geo-
thermometer range from 150 C to 175 C. This region apparently has
the highest geothermal potential in Pakistan and an economically
exploitable geothermal reservoir may be expected in the southwestern
part of Koh-e-Sultan [16].
2.2.4. Hot Dry Rock (HDR)
Hydro-geothermal resources are only a fraction of the total
geothermal potential which is associated with the deep-seated hot
dry rocks. These resources occur at depths ranging around 46 km.
The quantum of this resource in the outermost 10 km of earth's crust
can be estimated to be 50,000 times the energy held by all known
resources of oil and gas. Till recently, these resources were not
considered technologically accessible, however with new research, cost
eective development technologies for the deep seated HDR have been
taken up and known as the Enhanced Geothermal systems (EGS) in
countries like USA, Germany and Australia.
Hot dry rocks (HDRs) is overlaid by thick cover of sedimentary rock
sequences relatively much below the hydro-geothermal systems in
water-free deep-seated environment at depths ranging from 4 to 6 km.
Geothermal energy from hot rocks diers from the conventional
hydrothermal energy process that produces power commercially in
geologically active areas. Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) have
been developed to extract energy from HDR sources by pumping water
down through the injection well to hot basement rocks, which are made
rich by hydraulic fracturing causing enhanced secondary porosity and
permeability. In fact, the enhanced secondary porosity and perme-
ability provide a connection between injection and withdrawal wells to
develop a closed water-circulation system for extracting and transfer-
ring heat from hot rocks at depth to the surface. The extracted hot
uids are used at the surface for generating electricity. In general, the
temperatures for hot water and steam range from 120 to 370 C for
electricity generation.[13].
I.A. Gondal et al. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 71 (2017) 687696

Fig. 5. 22-year Annual Average Earth Skin Temperature [13].

Studies carried out in this regard have been depicted in the gradient The thermal gradient data of 60 exploratory oil and gas wells have
map of Earth Skin Temperature shown at Fig. 5. been processed and a preliminary regional anomaly map of the
On the basis of the EST trends, Pakistan can apparently be divided geothermal gradient has been generated by using the inverse distance
into three priority areas for the exploration of HDR geothermal weighted (IDW) interpolation method of GIS technique [13]. The
resources: results of this study has been arranged in Table 5.
Taking a look at the geographical map of Pakistan, all the areas
Southeastern area of strong EST gradient 26-31C,
Moderate EST gradient 2126C
Low EST gradients < 20C Table 5
Geothermal gradient in Indus Basin.
The same be taken as priority I, II, and III respectively for the
Location Geothermal gradient
detailed HDR investigations.
The Geothermal gradient map developed by Zaigham and Nayyar Karachi 44.5 C/100 m
[13] also show promising prospects. A geothermal gradient of 44.5 C/ Thatta 3.54 C/100 m
100 m is encountered in various regions of the South and South Hyderabad
Badin
Eastern Pakistan. These zones stretch from Karachi to Badin in the Nawabshah
South and continue to move upward in the North with the same width Sui
up till west of Bahawalpur and east of Sibbi. Thus a large portion of Loralai
Sindh and South-East Balochistan have HDR Geothermal resources (with adjoining areas)
that can be explored for meeting the energy requirements of the region.
The temperature range of geothermal resources of Pakistan are
given in Table 4. Geographically the hottest temperature ranges are
observed to be located in inaccessible areas of northern Pakistan,
however the springs of Chagai, Chakwal and Karachi are well within the
proximity of dense urban population.

Table 4
[17] Temperature range of Geothermal resources Pakistan. Chaman
Quetta
Location Temperature Uthal
Islamkot
Murtazabad 185230 C (with adjoining areas)
Tato 170200 C
Tatta Pani 100150 C
Kotli 100125 C
Chagai 200300 C
Karachi 70145 C
Chakwal 6090 C

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indicated in Table 5 are urban/industrial areas with enormous Table 6

domestic and economic energy requirements. The values depicted in Applications for Geothermal resources of Pakistan.
Table 5 are considered to be an eective geothermal gradient for
Location Resource Temperature Application
developing on the HDR energy systems [18,19]. The surface geological Type
setup and the deep-seated basement tectonic features indicate bright
prospect for development of HDR geothermal energy resources to Chagai Hydro
Geothermal
200300C Flash & Dry steam
power plant
generate electricity and/or direct heat in Pakistan particularly in areas
close to the main urban and/or industrial centers where there are no Hydrogen
production
hot springs and/or geysers exist. Murtazabad Hydro 185230C Binary power plant
Geothermal Ethanol,
production
Biofuels

Binary
3. Categorisation of geothermal resource
Tatta Pani, Tato, Hydro 100200C power plant
Kotli Geothermal Fabric Dyeing
The geothermal resource can be categorized for usage with respect
to temperature as given in the Lindal Diagram depicted in Fig. 6. A
Refrigeration
making
& Ice

more detailed categorisation is given by [20]. Lumber drying

A comparison of Fig. 6 with Table 4 indicates a range of applica- Cement
Drying
& Aggregate

tions for the Geothermal resources of Pakistan depending upon the

HVAC
location as well as the requirement. A more detailed resource applica- Pulp drying
tion for the available Geothermal resources of Pakistan is given in Karachi Hydro
Geothermal
70145C Pulp
processing
& paper

Fruit
Table 6. In addition, the HDR resources once explored and developed
& vegetable
can subsequently be used for power generation employing various
drying
technologies. It is very fortunate for Pakistan that the industrial hub
and port city of Karachi that has the maximum power consumption in
Soft
carbonation
drink

the country has very good HDR prospects. Green Housing

Food processing

4. Stages of geothermal development Concrete

curing
Block

Chakwal Hydro 6090C Aqua culture

This section describes the typical paths adopted for the develop- Geothermal Mushroom culture
Biogas production
Heat pump HVAC
ment of a geothermal project. It is however appreciated that each
Geothermal project is unique and the developmental process is also
unique considering the type of resource, terrain, and multiple other
factors. Thus the technologies, timelines and techniques involved are The Geothermal Energy Association uses a four-phase system [22].
peculiar to the specic project. This system captures how much, and what type of work has been
Experts suggest various phases of development that comprise of performed on that particular geothermal resource up until the present
almost the same steps but dier in description. For example the time. These four phases of project development are:
International Geothermal Association [21] follows a 7-phase develop-
ment project named as:
Phase I: Resource Procurement and Identication

Phase II: Resource Exploration and Conrmation

Preliminary survey
Phase III: Permitting and Initial Development

Exploration
Test drilling
Phase IV: Resource Production and Power Plant Construction

Project review and planning Each of the four phases of project development is comprised of
Field development three separate sections, each of which contains phase sub-criteria.
Power plant construction Iceland Geological survey [23] follows the following steps for
Commissioning and operation Geothermal development:
Step 1: Gathering and evaluation of existing data
Step 2 A: Surface exploration
Step 2B: Exploration drilling
Step 3: Pre-feasibility report
Step 4: Environmental assessment
Step 5: Drilling and testing of conrmation wells
Step 6: Feasibility report
Step 7: Design, construction, production drilling
Step 8: Testing, commissioning, training
Step 9: Operation
Various phases of development of a geothermal project are shown
in the form of project timeline in Fig. 7.
Fig. 7 indicates that the geothermal power plant can be brought into
operation within 8 years. In comparison with other renewable energy
technologies, Geothermal plants take longer time from planning to
implementation, however in the larger perspective the timeframe is not
an important factor especially when energy projects in pipeline in
Pakistan have lingered on for more than a decade due to political and/
or other socio-economic factors. Wynn [24] has calculated a time frame
of six years for planning and installation of Wind Oshore projects,
Fig. 6. Categorisation of Geothermal resource as per usage.

692
I.A. Gondal et al.
Fig. 7. Project development Timeframe Geothermal Powerplant [23].
while that for a Large Hydro project, it is 5 years in UK. In this context
the time frame of energy project does not hold signicance and hence is
not a barrier in the development of a Geothermal energy project in
Pakistan.
Referring to Fig. 7 the eorts for geothermal exploration in
Pakistan have been continuing for more than three decades in
Pakistan, however unfortunately the development process has not
progressed beyond the 2nd stage i.e. Surface exploration, for which
the ground work has long been completed.
Besides the large scale development of Geothermal resources,
another benecial facet of the Geothermal resource is the Shallow
Geothermal energy that is independent of the location, terrain and
depth.
5. Shallow geothermal
Shallow geothermal energy is also referred to as Direct Geothermal
systems. Within about 510 m depth from the ground surface, the
temperature is strongly inuenced by the atmospheric temperature,
and temperature variations due to daily or seasonal eects can be large.
With increasing depth and down to several tens of metres below the
surface, the temperature becomes relatively constant and is initially
close to the mean atmospheric temperature for any particular location.
Therefore, the ground is warmer than the atmosphere during winter
and cooler during summer, a generalisation that applies for most
locations around the world regardless of geology. This highly cost and
energy ecient technique is growing rapidly in Europe and North
Fig. 8. Schematic view of a direct Geothermal heating/cooling system (borehole not to scale).
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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 71 (2017) 687696
America, but is only just starting to generate interest in other parts of
the world [25].
The direct system is very simple in operation. It consists of a
network of pipes laid in the foundations of the building or specially
drilled holes to accommodate the pipe loop network. During winter the
uid usually water or some other refrigerant is heated when it enters
the earth through a ground source heat pump (GSHP). The water in the
pipe network known as the Ground loop system (GLS) is heated up, the
warm water circulating in the building within the pipes warms up the
building. Similarly during summer the process is reversed as refriger-
ant gains heat from the building, enters the GLS in the ground and is
cooled. The cooler uid is then used for air conditioning the building.
Thus much of the energy consumed by HVAC can be relieved through
the use of Shallow geothermal systems. The process is schematically
presented in Fig. 8.
An analysis of the energy usage in domestic and commercial
buildings indicate that HVAC accounts for almost 4050% of the total
energy consumption in urban areas (Fig. 9). These systems are virtually
maintenance-free and can run for extended periods without any
signicant malfunction continuously (unlike solar and wind energy
based systems). Moreover these systems are able to recover the capital
expenditure quickly. Thus shallow geothermal systems have the
potential to address the energy woes of developing nations like
Pakistan, by saving on the expensively produced electrical energy
based on fossil fuels.
Tapping into the various types of Geothermal resource have
remained a successful venture globally, however despite the availability
I.A. Gondal et al.
Fig. 9. Residential energy usage [26].
of Hydrothermal as well HDR resources, the same have not been
exploited in Pakistan. To this end the technology with the least capital
cost i.e. the Direct-use systems have also failed to make any in-roads
into the energy markets.
The factors attributable for non-utilization of the Geothermal
resource may be many and varying, however a number of steps,
enumerated in the succeeding discussion are likely to entail progress
in this direction.
6. Way forward
The above discussion has amply demonstrated that Geothermal
resources of all types are available in abundance in Pakistan and
feasibility exists for exploiting the same into benecial source of
energy. The succeeding writing would take into account the steps that
can be taken up for integrating this signicant energy source into the
national energy mix.
6.1. Government level
6.1.1. Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB)
AEDB has been set up by the Government of Pakistan with a target
to have a 10% share of renewable energy in the national grid by 2015
[27]. However with end-2015 approaching, the target is far from being
anywhere near. The lack of progress is attributable to multiple factors
that have resulted in a less-than-average pace of this important
national organization. Firstly the inconsistent policies do not allow
the much needed impetus to break into the status quo (of the energy
sector) that is more of an inertia-related problem. Historically most of
the political governments have run the aairs of the organization on
adhoc arrangements which not only aect the policies, organizational
structure but also the critical manpower. This results in a non-technical
chief executive being appointed to head of the organization that is
purely technical in its entirety. Although several relevant technocrats
qualied in the subject of Renewable energy technologies are available,
however the decision to head the organization is mostly based on
political aliations rather than technical understanding and ability.
Thus it is foremost that a permanent and technically sound person be
nominated to head the AEDB. Renewable energy projects require
consistent policy in order to pursue the projects through to completion
and operation.
As recent as Oct 2015, the press has reported that Consistency in
policy implementation is one of the major incentives investors look for
in any sector. In April 2015, in one of its meetings, the Cabinet
Committee on Energy decided to slap a ban on new solar and wind
energy projects, calling them unfeasible as they are more expensive
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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 71 (2017) 687696
compared to conventional ones. Following that decision, solar energy
projects were halted. The Alternate Energy Development Board
(AEDB) was working on 29 projects of 709.6 MW capacities but
issuance of tari to these projects was stopped [28].
Revival of this premier organization of the country must be the top
priority of the governments irrespective of the political aliation.
Geothermal energy can get its due share only if a realization of this
important resource is held with the energy planners of the government
and its organisations.
6.1.2. Data sharing
One of the most essential and crucial stage in the development of
geothermal energy is the exploration phase, which is a common feature
in oil and gas exploration. There is a high risk of early drilling in
undeveloped elds for obvious reasons. The industry rule of thumb is
that the rst few wells drilled in a new geothermal eld are unlikely to
meet with more than 60% success rate (dened as producing usable
quantities of steam and/or hot water), whereas once elds are mature,
success rates typically exceed 85%. This hurdle can also be overcome
through sharing of technical data and experience.
In Pakistan the oil exploration is mainly managed by the State run
Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) and some other local
and foreign companies. OGDCL has a treasure of exploration data that
it needs to share with the stake holders in the Renewable energy
Industry, Alternate Energy Development Board at the fore front, being
the apex organization for promotion of Renewable energy. Sharing of
exploratory data can reduce the exploration expenditure, time and
eort and consequently reduction of the overall project cost.
The petroleum industry in Pakistan has made an enormous
investment in the form of exploratory wells since the middle of the
19th century. An estimated total of 1567 wells, exploratory (689) and
development (878) wells cover the vast regions in the Indus basin,
Potohar Plateau, eastern ank of the axial foldthrust belt, coastal zone
of the Arabian Sea [29]. More than 450 exploratory wells have been
abandoned.
The archive data pertaining to these wells lying in the record-les
can play a vital role for the development of the HDR geothermal energy
for the generation of the electricity in the country. Sharing of the
archive data, relevant to the proposed research study for the identica-
tion of deep-seated HDR resources, can considerably minimize the
initial exploration cost and time resulting in reduction of the capital
cost of the HDR exploration project. Thus, a substantial cost invested
on the abandoned wells would also be recovered.
6.1.3. Research coordination
A number of institutions have been established by the government
of Pakistan to deal with the scientic research and understanding of
energy issues. Similarly there are over 30 engineering universities in
Pakistan that have the relevant Engineering departments i.e.
Departments of Mechanical/ Electrical / Energy Engineering.
These departments have a very signicant role in developing and
suggesting appropriate technologies for implementing Renewable en-
ergy projects including Geothermal.
Also a number of associations, NGOs and private organisations
exist with the mandate of promoting Renewable energy technologies.
Tables 7, 8 list some of these institutions and organisations.
It is suggested that a portal/forum be developed that is able to host,
compile and update data regarding the eorts being carried out in the
development of Geothermal and/or Renewable energy resources all
over Pakistan. In this way the duplication of eort can be avoided and
any new venture can be based on the work carried out elsewhere. The
online portal should be able to accept and upload updates in the form
of wiki.
6.1.4. Tax breaks & concessions
Investors have to be lured in for investing in energy projects if the
I.A. Gondal et al.
Table 7
Institutions & Orgs.
Pakistan Council for Science & Technology (PCST)
Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET)
Pakistan Council of Scientic & Industrial Research (PCSIR)
The National Energy conservation centre (ENERCON)
National electronic complex of Pakistan (NECOP)
Technology upgradation & skill development company (TUSDEC)
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
Centre for Energy Systems (CES)
Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF)
Table 8
NGOs, Associations & Private sector organisations.
Renewable & Alternative Energy Association of Pakistan (REAP)
Pakistan Renewable Energy Society (PRES)
Association for Water, Applied Education & Renewable Energy(AWARE)
Renewable Energy Society for Education, Awareness, Research & Community Help
(RESEARCH)
AGECO
Shan Geothermal
progress is to be made in developing new technologies and projects.
Thus aordable Tax incentives and concessions in the earned revenue
might be necessary if rapid progress in the Renewable energy projects
is to be realized.
6.1.5. Prioritizing low technology projects
Although Geothermal projects are time consuming and cost in-
tensive if Large capacity power plants are to established. However still
there are applications of Geothermal resources i.e. Enhanced
Geothermal systems, Shallow Geothermal systems that are cost eec-
tive as well as technically not very sophisticated. Government should
make eorts to disseminate and promote these technologies on priority
basis for the domestic and industrial sector.
EGS and direct geothermal heating and cooling using GSHPs are
new and emerging technologies that have the potential to signicantly
reduce the world's dependence on carbon based energy sources. The
technologies are complementary: EGS has the potential to signicantly
increase supply of clean electricity and GSHPs the potential to reduce
demand. Furthermore, and unlike the better known forms of sustain-
able energy, geothermal energy is available 24 h a day, 7 days a week.
Commercial application of EGS technology is some years into the
future but its enormous potential demands investment for further
research. Direct geothermal energy and ground source heat pump
Fig. 10. Multi-Disciplinary Research approach.
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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 71 (2017) 687696
technology is available now policy makers, the construction industry
and the public need to be educated and the potential of these systems
demonstrated. Research should focus on optimizing ground loop and
GSHP systems to maximise economic, as well as environmental,
benets. Government has an important role to play in enabling the
practical employment of these technologies.
6.1.6. R & D strategy
A number of studies have been carried out to evaluate the strategy
for promoting Renewable energy technologies i.e. whether the
Government subsidies be allocated to R & D or to market applications?
In this regard [30] have studied the various strategies employed by
dierent countries. The decision to channelize the research funds is
Geographical as well as technology specic. For example as cited in this
study it is revealed that the strategy of Germany was to focus on market
instruments, California laid a greater emphasis on R & D, while China's
strategy was characterized by central planning. Pakistan should follow
suite and develop its strategy for developing the Geothermal projects
depending upon the resources, the level of physical and technological
infrastructure as well as the available funding instruments.
6.2. Academic level
Almost all technical academic institutions of the country have
ambitious goals laid out in their RIC (Research, Innovation and
Commercialization) policy. However all the institutions are dependent
on grid-connected electricity for their power supplies, despite the large
number of engineers, laboratories and other technical sta present in
these organisations. In addition the state funding is also available to
these institutions to undertake prototype energy projects. It is thus
suggested that each of the engineering university be tasked to generate
its own electricity through one of the feasible Renewable resource
available. Such projects can be a great source of condence, technical
learning and could lead to commercial applications when demonstrated
to the general public and other companies interested in energy
harvesting.
6.2.1. Research integration
Development of Geothermal energy requires a multi-disciplinary
approach. It requires experts and technicians that are relevant not only
to Geology and Geography but also Chemical, Mechanical,
Metallurgical engineers as depicted in Fig. 10. Hence integration of
dierent disciplines must be a driving force in the innovation process.
Not only technical but a number of associated subject specialists in
Physics, Earth Sciences, Architecture, Law and Economy are also
I.A. Gondal et al.
required. The integration is likely to enhance the individual knowledge
ability as well as improved technical development of the project.
6.3. Private entrepreneurs
The advances made in the Geothermal heat pump devices can
greatly enhance the direct-use of geothermal energy in the residential
and industrial sectors of the developing countries like Pakistan. There
have been few direct-use geothermal projects thus far across the
countries of the Global South, this is clearly an area of considerable
interest as well as an anticipated area of exponential commercial
growth in the near future [31].
A limited number of private companies in Pakistan can provide
services for direct-use of Geothermal energy. Private entrepreneurs
must be encouraged through tax breaks and other incentives for
economic commercialization of this practical resource, mainly for the
Air-conditioning and/or space heating.
7. Conclusion
Pakistan has the potential for tapping considerable amounts of
energy from its very rich geothermal resources dispersed all over the
country. The vastly distributed resources have the ability to generate
power through a variety of developed technologies. Apart from the cost
intensive Power plants, geothermal energy can be very benecial as
direct-use in the domestic and commercial sectors.
Academic as well as commercial ventures must be pursued gradu-
ally for penetration in the energy market along with condence
building measures. Practically following are the important milestones
needed to accelerate the penetration of Renewable energy in general
and Geothermal energy in particular:
Revitalisation of AEDB.
Clear goals and targets dened for Renewable energy.
Prioritize areas for development, for example.
Hydrothermal Northern areas.
HDR Sindh/Balochistan.
Universities/ R & D institutions to be part of the innovation and
commercialization process.
Foreign/Local expertise and incentives.
Demonstration projects for public condence.
Vigorous implementation of energy policy & targets.
Government initiatives are important where large Hydrothermal
and HDR resources have been identied through surface exploration.
Feasibility studies must be started immediately in consultation with the
state owned petroleum exploration companies to initiate large power
plants. Short-term initiatives involve pursuance of Shallow Geothermal
projects and Direct Geothermal use. Both these technologies are
capable of signicantly making an impact in reducing the grid-energy
use.
In conclusion geothermal energy has a very signicant role in
reducing the energy crisis of Pakistan as well as contributing impetus in
the economic and industrial growth.
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