XGS Energy and Meta Platforms have announced an agreement supporting the development of 150MW of next-generation geothermal energy in New Mexico.
Fervo Energy has successfully secured US$206mn of additional capital to continue advancing its Cape Station EGS development project.
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing geothermal energy in the region at a high-level summit in Florida.
A panel at the 17th Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF), held in Miami, highlighted the growing viability of geothermal energy as a clean, reliable baseload power source for the Caribbean region.
CREF is the Caribbean’s largest annual gathering for clean energy stakeholders, including government leaders, utilities, investors and private firms.
Key projects highlighted included Grenada’s plans to commence exploration drilling in 2026.
“If successful, the 15-megawatt base load capacity [geothermal plant] will provide 40% of our energy supply needed for all households in Grenada,” said Kerryne James, Grenada’s Minister of Climate Resilience.
“It has been a long journey to get to where we are — two-and-a-half years sometimes feel like 10 — but we are staying the course.”
The need for innovative financing models and enhanced regional collaboration to accelerate deployment and shorten project timelines was also addressed.
James also highlighted the value of regional collaboration and capacity building through the OECS Geothermal Energy Capacity Building for Utilisation, Investment and Local Development (OECS GEOBUILD) programme.
“OECS, in the whole process with the GEOBUILD project, has been giving us the advantage and the environment for us to learn and grow from our regional partners. It has the potential of giving us not only energy security [but] the opportunity to redefine regional integration; redefine how we collaborate amongst ourselves in the region.”
Progress was also highlighted in Dominica’s ongoing development of a geothermal plant, expected to be completed by December, as well as forthcoming drilling in St Kitts and Nevis.
Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis, stressed the significance of geothermal in enabling small island developing states to establish clean, dependable and sustainable energy infrastructure.
Other participants at the CREF event included clean energy equipment supplier, Exergy International and Dominica Geothermal Development Company.
Canada Growth Fun Inc. (CGF) has announced a financing commitment of up to CAD$138mn to be granted to Eavor Technologies to accelerate the development and commercial deployment of geothermal technology.
In a move hailed as a transformative milestone for West Texas, the Presidio Municipal Development District (PMDD) has signed a 110 MW power purchase agreement (PPA) term sheet with Exceed Geo Energy
The Department of the Interior has announced that emergency permitting procedures have now been implemented to speed up the review of geothermal projects that pose critical for US national energy security and dominance.
According to new research by Wood Mackenzie, next-gen geothermal tech has the potential to transform the energy sector with its abundant power.
In a major step forward for clean energy innovation, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada has officially approved a pioneering partnership between Google and NV Energy.
GreenFire Energy has launched its first commercial next-gen geothermal demonstration project at The Geysers.
Oil & gas and geothermal energy sectors both require skills, data, technology and supply chain elements that show a significant overlap, indicating that these skills are indeed transferable between sectors.
Considering the large scale innovations taking place in the geothermal energy sector, it has been observed that techniques such as subsurface evaluation, modelling, drilling and surface operations that are involved in the development of new geothermal projects, are very similar processes to those used in many upstream oil and gas projects.
This means that the expertise offered by oil & gas professionals as well as the resources from the industry, can be used in the development of next-generation geothermal technologies. One notable example as mentioned in a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), is the reliance of enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs) on well stimulation, including hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling techniques that were refined for shale gas and tight oil operations in the US.
The report concluded that findings obtained through the examination of investment components revealed that around two-thirds of every dollar invested in conventional geothermal operations has a significant overlap with the oil and gas industry. This further confirms the close relationship between the required investments and the expertise and skills involved in the two sectors.
Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) see a great future in the US, given their potential to generate around 90 GW of flexible power by 2050.
The Bureau of Land Management is seeking input for the proposed geothermal leasing of eight parcels totalling 20,000 acres in Elmore and Washington counties.