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US-based geotechnical firm Eden GeoPower (Eden) has secured multiple contracts for its innovative Electrical Reservoir Stimulation technology in Saudi Arabia and Oman, company President and Co-founder Ammar Alali told Zawya Projects.
"Since January, we have been helping with geothermal resource assessment for a well-known major client in Saudi Arabia (name withheld) who have ambitious plans to develop 100 percent renewable energy," he disclosed.
The Saudi geoscientist founded Eden in 2017 with fellow scientist, and company CEO Paris Smalls, the two having met at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as second-year doctorate students.
In Oman, the firm is supporting SLB for geothermal resource exploration. Eden is also conducting a one-month pilot with an Omani company, 44.01, where its technology is being utilised for carbon sequestration.
The company's first paid commercial pilot for Electrical Reservoir Stimulation was awarded by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) in September 2022. The pilot, which involves testing six wells over 12 months, has already commenced.
"We began in November, delivered the equipment, validated the field, and started the preparations. We hope to renew the contract and scale up to 100 wells," said Alali.
Elaborating on the benefits of Electrical Reservoir Stimulation, he said the technology, which utilises high-voltage electricity as the primary mechanism to increase reservoir permeability, is 30 percent cheaper, reduces time by 20 percent, cuts water consumption by 80 percent, and reduces carbon footprint by 70 percent compared to traditional hydraulic fracturing.
"The process is more sustainable, does not leave harmful chemical residues underground, and can extract subsurface resources more efficiently. Additionally, the process results in effective permeability and could yield higher production over time and for a longer period.
Alali added that the technology also has technical value propositions, including allowing directionality, with control over the direction of the fracture.
"We think we could deploy the entire treatment with a neutral carbon footprint with 100 percent renewable resources because our solution is electric."
The Eden co-founder said the technology could be commercialized across a spectrum of upcoming industries like geothermal, mining, and carbon sequestration apart from the traditional petroleum industry to improve resource extraction efficiency economically.
He disclosed that the company has an R&D facility in the United States and is in talks with oil and gas and mining companies in the US and the region.
(Reporting by Sowmya Sundar; Editing by Anoop Menon)
