1. Introduction

The engineering applications of Energy Geomechanics take place in the Earth's shallow lithosphere (depth $<10$ km). Surface weathering processes and the movement of tectonic plates have changed the shallow lithosphere over millions of years. Hence, the current state of the subsurface is the result of the evolution of the Earth's lithosphere over geological time. Geomechanics is involved in all stages of hydrocarbon recovery including:

• Exploration (e.g., structural geology and geophysical methods for oil and gas prospection)
• Drilling and Completion (e.g., wellbore stability and hydraulic fracturing)
• Production (e.g., sand production, reservoir compaction, surface subsidence, EOR)
• Waste disposal (e.g., fault stability, surface heave, fracturing)

Recent engineering actions, such as reservoir depletion for hydrocarbon or water extraction, can also alter the state of stress.

The following sections review quickly the disciplines involved in Energy Geomechanics and the most important applications. Figure 1.1 shows a summary of applications of geomechanics in the petroleum industry. Similar applications are also relevant to other energy fields, such as deep geothermal energy.

Figure 1.1: Summary of applications of geomechanics in the energy industry.