How Contact Energy benefit from Leapfrog Energy

They operate five geothermal power stations across three fields – Ohaaki, Wairakei and Tauhara.

For the last ten years Contact Energy has been on a journey to get resource appraisals, assessment and review more into the 3D space. Seequent has been a key partner in this journey. Leapfrog Energy has enabled Contact to become agile in finding answers so they can readily adapt to new information and plan accordingly.

Video Transcript

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<v ->Contact Energy operate across three geothermal fields,</v>

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in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, Ohaaki, Wairakei and Tauhara

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and we have five geothermal power stations on those fields,

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generating about 430 megawatts

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of electricity from geothermal.

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<v ->We are the second largest generator</v>

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of electricity in New Zealand.

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<v ->Our operations in New Zealand</v>

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have a very very long history.

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<v ->Wairakei has been in operation for more than 60 years now,</v>

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and still going strong.

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2026, is when the Wairakei consents expire,

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and Contact is planning

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to apply for a renewal of those consents.

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<v ->As part of our consent to operate on these fields,</v>

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we interact with the regional councils.

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In the last 10 years, Contact’s been on a journey,

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like the rest of the geothermal industry,

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to get their resource appraisal assessment

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and review more into a 3D space.

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<v ->We find that visuals is always a common language</v>

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that everyone understands.

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<v ->Seequent offers the Leapfrog geothermal software.</v>

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It’s definitely been a big step forward in communication,

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to the broader team, both within the company,

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but also actually outwardly into the community as well.

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<v ->So that’s a critical part of our business,</v>

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and being able to visualize things

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that you can’t see easily from the surface,

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is absolutely essential for us.

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<v ->Leapfrog can also give us the opportunity</v>

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to simplify some of the concepts we deal with

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to actually get people

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to interact with them a little bit more readily.

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It’s also been a really strong evolution on

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how we look at linking understanding

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from a geo-science perspective of the subsurface

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with our geologists, geophysicists, and geochemists.

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<v ->Seequent technology, in essence,</v>

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supports all our range of subsurface activities,

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both monitoring and both drilling.

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<v ->We need to combine multiple types of data,</v>

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whether it’s geophysics, MT surveys, microseismic data,

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alongside structural geology, and formation imaging,

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and fractal orientation to give us that picture.

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<v ->We understand the data.</v>

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We understand the interrelationships of the data.

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We can visualize and understand things

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that are going on beneath the ground.

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<v ->When you start building a picture,</v>

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that is consistent, with a range of datasets,

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rather than with one particular data set.

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From that point of view,

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it help us build concept models more reliable

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and more consistent with the whole data.

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<v ->Leapfrog lets us bring all those things together,</v>

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and also rapidly appraise out to help

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with our targeting and well prognosis developments.

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<v ->It’s a relatively agile tool.</v>

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It help us find quick answers to problems

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and they help us adapt quickly

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to the new information and plan accordingly.

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There’s no such thing as two wells

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that are exactly the same.

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Every time we plan a new well,

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we’re going into a new reservoir area,

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and we’re faced with unique challenges.

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So, that’s the great thing about geothermal,

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and having a tool like Seequent technology,

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which help us work with that uncertainty

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and the variety of conditions.

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