A number of basins across the Territory are prospective for geothermal systems and remain underexplored.
Process
Geothermal energy is the process of extracting and utilising a natural source of heat contained within the Earth. The heat can be extracted and used either indirectly to generate electricity, or directly for heating applications.
Geothermal targets are regions of high heat flow coupled to insulating sedimentary layers with low thermal conductivity such as thick intervals of shale- or mudstone- rich sedimentary rocks. The Northern Territory (NT) has a high heat flow largely due to the radiogenic decay of uranium, thorium and potassium in crystalline basement rocks. Several basins in the NT contain thick shale rich sedimentary basins overlying these high heat generating crystalline basement rocks and are good geothermal exploration targets.
Prospectivity
NT Geological Survey released the 2024 study "Prospectivity for geothermal power generation in the Northern Territory" presented in NTGS Report 23. This represents an update to the “Geothermal energy potential of the Northern Territory” documented in NTGS Record 2007-004.
The 2024 study provides an overview of the three predominant strategies for geothermal power generation, namely Hot Sedimentary Aquifers (HSA), Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) and Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS), complete with discussion of current and emerging technologies and relevant case studies appropriate to each. The study found that the onshore Bonaparte and Eromanga Basins represent the most prospective for HSA (most economic). The Bonaparte Basin, Pine Creek Orogen, the McArthur Basin, Beetaloo Sub-basin and the Warramunga Province of the Tennant Region was most prospective for EGS. Much of the Northern Territory is prospective for AGS geothermal power projects (least economic). This is to be expected, because there are relatively few geological constraints on producing geothermal energy using advanced geothermal systems. Regions of relatively low prospectivity include the coastal basins, northeast Georgina Basin, western Amadeus Basin, and a broad swathe including the Carpentaria and Victoria basins between the McArthur and Wiso basins.
Links to more information
Geothermal regulation is administered by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade. All tenure information and regulatory requirements can be found on the NT Government website.
View the distribution of petroleum wells and seismic lines and download attributed spatial data across the Territory’s onshore basins through the Northern Territory Geological Survey's (NTGS) online web mapping system STRIKE.
