Opportunities for geothermal direct use in Mesillas geothermal prospect, Mexico

• Low enthalpy geothermal resources have been overlooked by the energy transition planning in Mexico. • The proposal will provide a rural community with clean energy for processing their coffee crops. • Direct use will enhance exploitation of geothermal resources in Mexico. The Mesillas area is the westernmost geothermal prospect in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt geothermal province, and in this work, it is characterized and evaluated for direct use. This prospect extends the favorable zone in this geothermal province towards the west coast of Mexico. The hydrothermal system is hosted in andesitic units that occur in an area of ∼1.5 km 2 , 25 thermal springs with discharge temperatures between 47–90 °C, and a pH ∼ 9. Intense CO 2 and H 2 S degassing is observed in the highest temperature springs. The surface activity is related to intense fracturing associated with NW-SE, SW-NE, NS, and EW normal fault systems. Hydrothermal manifestations cluster in the reduced area where a Time-Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) survey revealed very low resistivity anomalies that extend down to 400 m depth and outspread further south, suggesting the potentially large feasibility for the direct use of the geothermal resource. The success of geothermal exploitation in low and medium temperature systems is related to the development of direct use projects that are technically and socially viable. Therefore, this paper presents the characterization of Mesillas geothermal prospect with the results of advanced exploration and propose relevant direct uses of the resource. The presented results support the sustainability of this system’s exploitation and an efficient path to move from exploration to exploitation of geothermal energy resources.