The snow is receding and the drilling of two new monitor wells for the Utah FORGE laboratory starts this week. The first well is being drilled to 1000’ and the second well will go to 3000’. Both are situated near the existing deep well, 58-32, that was completed in 2017. The new wells being much shallower, should be completed by early April, when they will be instrumented with state of the art sensors. During the drilling process, geologists and engineers will be on site, in order to provide important information about rock types and shallow groundwater resources.
For background, this phase of work involves bringing the site up to readiness to drill the two deep wells later in the year that will become the centerpiece of the FORGE laboratory. In the short term, activities are focused on:
- installation of a permanent seismic monitoring network
- building infrastructure (power, site office, communications hub, upgraded roads)
- mini-flow injection testing and interpretation of results
- acquiring additional field data to refine geoscientific understanding
- convening of the Science & Technology Analysis Team (STAT).
