Quarry in geo bid

By Cherie Donnellan
A MORIAC quarry will be the testing site for a multi-million-dollar geothermal energy project, according to a company running the trial.
Director Robert King said Greenearth chose the site west of Moriac and about 8.5km from Anglesea’s coal mine after a “hefty round of consultations” with stakeholders.
“We knew environmentally-conscious people were concerned about testing on Crown land, so we negotiated land through a private seller.
“The site we bought has been a quarry since the ‘50s or ‘60s, so we felt it was a good site to choose.
“It’s near infrastructure and the region’s population base so we can see whether there will any environmental or amenity impacts.”
Mr King said international quarrying company Holcim owned the land.
The tests would involve drilling 4000 metres deep to assess temperatures and run fluid through the well to determine its capacity to produce energy.
But the project would require Federal Government funding.
The Independent revealed last month that Greenearth was seeking funding from Federal Government after it withdrew an initial allocation because the company failed to raise enough capital of its own.
“We’ve already been granted $5 million from State Government for the initial drilling but we’ll need more money to complete the first stages,” Mr King said.
“We’ve applied for funding through the Federal Government’s emerging renewables program.”
Mr King said Greenearth expected to find out whether it would receive funding in “three to four months”.
But drilling was unlikely to commence this year, he said.