First Geothermal Potential Evaluation in Mexico of a Gas Producer Field: The Comitas Field Case

Burgos Basin is an important hydrocarbon province in Mexico, as it has high gas production and some wells also produce condensed oil. The Burgos Basin has favorable geological conditions to store fluids, like dry gas, gas condensate and formation water and has a geothermal gradient between 40 and 70°C/km, which makes the Burgos Basin a possible geothermal prospect with numerous deep wells that can be used to produce geothermal energy. Here, we present the evaluation of electric power production potential using a binary power plant. Comitas field has wells with depths between 2,000 and 3,000 meters, and bottomhole temperatures in the range from 120°C to 180°C. The geological characterization of the area and the existing temperatures could be used to assess the geothermal potential with the volumetric method using the method that Garg and Combs (2015) reformulated to use a binary plant to produce electric power and the Montecarlo approach to define the probability of the estimated production. The results of the evaluation indicate a probability of P90 for 0.8 MW (Mega Watt) production, P50 for 4 MW and P10 for 12 MW. The results demonstrate that electric power production is feasible using the active or the abandoned wells in this gas field, which may provide renewable energy to the nearby towns.