Press Release August 15, 2022
SALT LAKE CITY, UT., Aug.15, 2022 – The University of Utah and Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) are pleased to announce Utah FORGE Solicitation 2022-2. This is the second formal call for research proposals on enhanced geothermal systems technologies from the Utah FORGE Program. Up to 17 awards are anticipated for up to a total of $44,000,000.
A pre-recorded informational webinar will be available on August 23, 2022.
The submission deadline for the two-page Concept Papers has been set for October 10, 2022, at 2:00 PM MDT.
The topic areas for technology testing and evaluations, their maximum potential funding level and the potential number of awards include:
| Topic | Title | Potential Funding | Potential Number of Awards |
| 6 | Adaptive Induced Seismicity Monitoring Protocols | $2,000,000 | 2 to 3 |
| 7 | Alternative Stimulation Schemes | $8,000,000 | 2 to 3 |
| 8 | Field Scale Experiments to Measure Heat-Sweep Efficiency | $8,000,000 | 2 to 4 |
| 9 | High Temperature Proppants | $6,000,000 | 2 to 4 |
| 10 | Multiset Straddle Packers for Open Hole Operations | $20,000,000 | 2 to 3 |
Each award has a maximum period of performance of three years.
“We are pleased to offer this second funding opportunity. It allows us to engage a wide range of researchers in helping to build on the many successes already realized at Utah FORGE,” said Joseph Moore, Ph.D. and Principal Investigator of the project.
Utah FORGE is a dedicated underground field laboratory sponsored by the U. S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office. Its goal is to develop, test, and accelerate breakthroughs in Enhanced Geothermal System, or EGS, to untap the vast potential of geothermal energy and advance its development across the US and around the world.
For more information about the University of Utah and the Utah FORGE Solicitation 2022-2, how to download the full document, and how to submit your application, please visit the Utah FORGE solicitation webpage (https://utahforge.com/rd/solicitations).
The Utah FORGE site is located near the town of Milford in Beaver County, Utah, on the western flank of the Mineral Mountains. Near term goals are aimed at perfecting drilling, stimulation, injection-production, and subsurface imaging technologies required to establish and sustain continuous fluid flow and energy transfer from an EGS reservoir. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by the University of Utah’s Energy & Geoscience Institute. For more information, please visit our website at https://utahforge.com.
Media Contact: Christopher Katis – ckatis@egi.utah.edu
Utah FORGE has begun an extended circulation test at its field laboratory near Milford, Utah. The test is expected to continue for up to four months, allowing researchers to evaluate long-term reservoir performance, thermal decline, water loss, and water treatment requirements under continuous flow conditions.
Dr. Kristie McLin joins the Stream-Flo of Consciousness podcast to discuss enhanced geothermal systems, Utah FORGE research, industry collaboration, and the future of geothermal technology.
The Energy & Geoscience Institute announces Dr. Kristie McLin as Director of Research and Science and new Principal Investigator of the Utah FORGE project, succeeding Dr. Joseph Moore.
