The SPE Los Angeles Basin Section will host three field trips during the SPE Western Regional Meeting, 27 April to 1 May. The 1-day field trips, all scheduled for 28 April, will tour three industry locations in California.
THUMS Island Field Trip
Enjoy a rare opportunity to visit one of Long Beach's scenic oil islands. One of the largest oil fields in the US was developed under the City of Long Beach in an urban setting, and under a major port. By restricting the development to offshore facilities, Long Beach was able to prevent unsightly oil operations within the inland, populated areas of the city.
Each island is attractively decorated with Long Beach Unit production from the Wilmington Oil Field exceeding 900 million bbl of oil with the entire field having produced over 2.9 billion bbl of oil.
SoCalGas Innovation Experience and Energy Resource Center
This tour will showcase two SoCalGas state-of-the-art facilities in Downey, California, including the H2 Innovation Experience, North America's first-ever clean, renewable hydrogen-powered microgrid, and 2,000-ft² home that can draw power from solar panels and convert excess renewable energy into clean renewable hydrogen.
The second facility on the tour is the Energy Resource Center (ERC) which advances energy efficiency and environmental innovation in the design and construction of the building itself and by incorporating the latest in energy-efficient lighting, cooling, and architectural design techniques. The ERC minimizes energy, water, and materials consumption while creating a high-quality, high-performance space.
Attendees will have the opportunity to explore cutting-edge facilities, engage in interactive exhibits, and gain insights from industry experts on the advancements and potential of hydrogen technology as a clean and sustainable energy source.
Salton Sea Geothermal Field
This field trip will tour the second-largest geothermal field in the US—the Salton Sea Geothermal Field. Attendees will visit an active geothermal power station to learn about well and power plant operations. Several power plants and pipelines will be seen and discussed throughout the tour.
Attendees will also visit an active geothermal corporation drilling rig (depending on availability), world’s largest geothermal well at the time it was drilled, an active mud pot geological area, an overview lookout of the Salton Sea, which is actually a below-sea-level lake at the US terminus of the Colorado River, and a lithium extraction facility (in construction) will be seen and discussed on route.