Zanskar, the largest geothermal exploration company in the U.S., has announced the discovery of ‘Big Blind,’ the first blind geothermal system confirmed commercially viable in the country in over 30 years.
Located in western Nevada, the site possesses no geothermal manifestations at the surface, and no history of geothermal exploration or other prior well data.
Using its advanced prospecting toolkit, Zanskar detected a geothermal anomaly suggesting unusually high heat flow. The company’s geologists then employed its AI-prediction engine to identify well targets to test temperature, permeability, and the system’s extent. In July and August 2025, two intermediate-depth wells were drilled, revealing a permeable reservoir at approximately 250°F and 2,700 feet depth. These conditions exceed utility-scale geothermal requirements and contrast with regional norms, which typically require deeper wells (~10,000 ft) and costly stimulation to reach comparable temperatures and permeability.
Geothermal systems like Big Blind can generate over 100 MWe of power using standard plant technology. Zanskar plans to confirm the exact capacity through further drilling and long-term flow testing. The discovery wells only capture the upper portion of the system, which extends deeper and contains higher-temperature thermal energy for future exploitation.
“The discovery of ‘Big Blind’ further validates Zanskar’s geological AI foundation models as well as the ingenuity of its growing geology and drilling teams, and positions the company for rapid growth as the market opportunity for domestic conventional geothermal energy production heats up,” said Carl Hoiland, co-founder and CEO at Zanskar. “The speed and repeatability our team has demonstrated is incredible, enabling us to quickly identify and drill at new sites across the western U.S., with the potential to deliver energy at gigawatt scale.”
Following its earlier projects at Lightning Dock in New Mexico and Pumpernickel in Nevada, Zanskar has cemented its position among the world’s leading geothermal explorers. The Big Blind discovery marks just the beginning, as a deep bench of additional geothermal anomalies is scheduled for further exploratory drilling. These discoveries will help governments, utilities, and major energy consumers adopt clean, firm geothermal energy at scale. Zanskar’s AI-driven technology is cost-effective, highly repeatable, and unlocks hidden geothermal resources to meet rising energy demand.
“Naturally occurring geothermal systems are commonly overlooked for being ‘too difficult to find,’ or ‘too sparse to matter,’ a narrative being dispelled by Zanskar’s ability to repeatedly find new geothermal hotspots such as Big Blind,” said Joel Edwards, co-founder and CTO at Zanskar. “What’s often called 'conventional geothermal' is a tremendous, untapped source for reliable clean, firm power at low costs in the western U.S. We’re excited that after years of behind-the-scenes work finding these new geothermal hotspots, we’re now proving they can support power generation facilities with the drill bit.”