30. Modeling of the Tbilisi (Georgia) Geothermal Deposit Under Climate Change Conditions

Georgia is rich with natural thermal waters and has a long tradition of their exploitation. Approximately 250 thermal springs and artificial wells are known, as well as spring clusters with water temperatures between 30°C and 108°C. The majority of these thermal water deposits have decreased well pressures due to irrational exploitation and climate change effects. In some cases, the complete termination of outflow has been observed. Based on the number of observed resources and their thermal potential, exploitation of thermal water deposits in the Tbilisi region is the most promising; thus, the assessment of its conditions are regarded as an important national priority. This paper summarizes the geothermal potential of the Tbilisi region based on development and application of a coupled 3D groundwater model using existing and newly obtained geologic, hydrogeologic, and geophysical data. Our modeling work resulted in a 10 year exploitation perspective of Tbilisi thermal deposits.