Geothermal engineer awarded Todd postgraduate energy scholarship

Katie McLean a geothermal reservoir engineer from Taupo has been awarded the prestigious 2016 Todd Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship in Energy Research.

The scholarship, which recognises the work of Sir Bryan Todd, supports students undertaking doctoral energy research which has relevance and value to New Zealand.  Sir Bryan played a major role in the creation of the Todd Foundation and was instrumental in the development of the New Zealand oil and gas industry.

Katie is currently completing a Master of Engineering in geothermal well testing in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, on a part-time basis.  She is employed as a geothermal reservoir engineer for Contact Energy in Taupo and cares for her two year old daughter.

She has a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Engineering from the Australian National University in Canberra. Prior to moving to New Zealand, Katie was a geologist in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

The scholarship will enable Katie to extend her project into a PhD (doctorate) commencing in February next year.  She will receive $50K over four years.

Her research aims to improve methods of well testing specifically for geothermal wells, with a particular focus on pressure transient analysis.

Katie says, “This is a significant gap in the knowledge required for geothermal development as no comprehensive review of this work has ever been published.  This will unlock more information on the underground geothermal reservoir and ultimately can lead to more successful wells in the future.”

At the recent World Geothermal Congress in Melbourne, New Zealand universities and companies were showcased in a global forum supported by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

“New Zealand has an international reputation for its geothermal expertise.  This research is an opportunity for NZ to take the lead, which ultimately contributes towards the push to leverage New Zealand expertise and intellectual property in the international geothermal market.”

The scholarship is administered by Universities New Zealand, which manages over 40 scholarships valued at over $2million a year.