Evaluating the Benefits: Environmental Impacts of Repurposing Oil and Gas Infrastructure for Enhanced Geothermal Electricity Generation Systems

Abstract

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) provide carbon-free baseload electricity, a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for EGS reduces costs, but its environmental impacts remain underexplored. This study employs Life Cycle Assessment inventory analysis to compare the environmental impact of repurposed versus greenfield (BAU) EGS across exploration, construction, operation, and end-of-life stages. Repurposed EGS reduced land transformation as reuse brownfield land, and slightly lowered climate change impacts due to reduced drilling needs. Repurposed systems yielded increased water consumption, primarily due incorporating well stimulation, which requires large water inputs normalized by lower lifetime electricity output as compared to BAU. Though repurposed EGS produces less lifetime electricity, its reduced cost, resource use and direct land use change impacts make it a viable option to transition existing oil and gas infrastructure toward cleaner energy production.