Sustainable operation of geothermal power plants: why economics matters

Geothermal Energy

Science – Society – Technology

Table 4 Production modes and results for Cases 1 and 2

Production mode	NPV (million €)		Capacity (MW_e)		Reservoir lifetime (a)
	Case 1	Case 2	Case 1	Case 2	Case 1	Case 2
Excessive production	196.04	62.65	126.66	7.66	41.2	23.8
Production in a sustainable manner	165.98	1.71	89.96	1.84	100
Production in a sustainable manner	128.77	− 29.54	72.83	0.63^a	300
Sustainable production	109.59	− 45.46	64.25	0.03^a	Infinite

^aValues outside the defined range of the cost function, which results in a slight increase in both the surface and O&M costs