Pre-feasibilty study of geothermal direct use recreational centre : a case study of Songwe prospect in Tanzania

Abstract

Direct use of geothermal energy provides heating or cooling to applications that relate to low-temperature resources and are proven to have economic and environmental benefits. Since ancient times people have utilized geothermal energy for recreational purposes like bathing and swimming. This project proposes a recreational centre of 4000 m2 in Songwe geothermal field in Tanzania. The total water surface area and volume is 420.5 m2 and 470 m3 , respectively. Preliminary conditions are used to design the swimming pools and the water circulation system for a specified turnover period. At design conditions, the power and flow of geothermal water required for the swimming pools is 755 kW and 4.6 kg/s. The total annual energy required for the pools is 15.5 TJ, corresponding to 3.3 kg/s of geothermal water as an annual average. The recreational centre is located at a distance of 1322 m from the planned well TGH-1. The pools have a closed heating system with the use of plate heat exchanger as heat transfer equipment. The total project investment cost is estimated to be USD 492,500 excluding the exploration, drilling and transmission pipeline cost. The source of finance is through 30% equity and a 70% bank loan given a deferment duration of 3 years from the inauguration of the project. For 15 years of operation, the project gives an IRR of 42% and a NPV of $4,005,000 indicating that the project is worth undertaking