The Newberry Deep Drilling Project (NDDP) workshop

Abstract

The important scientific questions that will form the basis of a full proposal to drill a deep well to the ductile–brittle transition zone (T>400 °C) at Newberry Volcano, central Oregon state, USA, were discussed during an International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) sponsored workshop held at the Oregon State University-Cascades campus in Bend, Oregon, from 10 to 13 September 2017. Newberry Volcano is one of the largest geothermal heat reservoirs in the USA and has been extensively studied for the last 40 years. The Newberry Deep Drilling Project (NDDP) will be located at an idle geothermal exploration well, NWG 46-16, drilled in 2008, 3500 m deep and 340–374 °C at bottom, which will be deepened another 1000 to 1300 m to reach 500 °C. The workshop concluded by setting ambitious goals for the NDDP: (1) test the enhanced geothermal system (EGS) above the critical point of water, (2) collect samples of rocks within the brittle–ductile transition, (3) investigate volcanic hazards, (4) study magmatic geomechanics, (5) calibrate geophysical imaging techniques, and (6) test technology for drilling, well completion, and geophysical monitoring in a very high-temperature environment. Based on these recommendations, a full drilling proposal was submitted in January 2018 to the ICDP for deepening an existing well. The next steps will be to continue building a team with project, technology, and investment partners to make the NDDP a reality.