Geothermal exploration drilling planned in Ankara, Turkiye

Exterior of Ankara YIKOB (source: Ankara YIKOB 2021 Annual Report)

State authority Ankara Investment Monitoring and Coordination Presidency (YIKOB) is planning to drill an exploration well to a depth of 1300 meters in several districts in Ankara, Turkiye. Drilling is expected to take six months and will help characterize the geothermal resource that had already been identified by previously drilled wells. The cost for the project is approximately TL 7.16 million (approx. USD 400,000)

Drilling works will be carried out in the project area in Ankara’s Sincan District, Yenikent District, and Erkeksu District. Aside from previous drilling data, the results of geological and geophysical studies supported the presence of a geothermal resource in Sincan. It is stated in the Project Introduction File that the drilling work is approximately 300 m away from the settlements.

As stated in the report included in the project introduction file published in the e-EIA Announcements section of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the contact zone of carbonate rocks and volcanic rocks and the fault zones cutting across it form the geothermal reservoir. This was interpreted based on the results of vertical electrical sounding (VES) and magnetotelluric (MT) surveys done in the project area.

In previous drillings near the project area, wells with a temperature of approximately 60-90°C and a flow rate of 40-50 l/s had been verified. Existing studies point to the existence of geothermal resources in the Region. After the source identification in Kizilcahamam and Ayasta in Ankara, the studies in Sincan are also promising. If the drilling is positive and the resource is discovered, new wells will be drilled to utilize the geothermal resource for many areas such as in urban heating, tourism, and greenhouse cultivation.

Source: E-EIA Announcements via our Turkish language platform JeotermalHaberler