PETROTHERMAL ENERGY AS A PROMISING DIRECTION FOR UTILIZING THE GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES OF AZERBAIJAN

The article examines the prospects for using Azerbaijan’s geothermal resources in the energy sector. It reviews the worldwide use of hydrothermal energy, defines petrothermal energy as the heat of dry rocks at depths of 3–10 km, and describes a geothermal circulation system with an artificial reservoir. It is shown that the experience of the oil and gas industry, previously drilled deep wells (including the Saatly superdeep well) and decommissioned oil wells create prerequisites for developing petrothermal resources. The paper concludes that developing petrothermal energy in Azerbaijan is technically feasible and environmentally justified, provided that the subsurface temperature conditions are studied further.