The Bureau of Land Management has approved the 30MW Crescent Valley production facility and associated transmission line.
According to a new paper by the think tank, Carnegie Endowment, geothermal energy’s moment is here — and North America is a hotspot for innovation.
“North America, particularly the Western part of the United States, is the optimal environment for next-generation geothermal commercialisation,” the report notes, “because of strong hot dry rock resources, incumbent geothermal and drilling industries, deep expertise in complex drilling techniques from shale production, proximity to equipment (such as rigs and casings), and a dynamic startup culture and venture capital ecosystem.”
The report, Unlocking Global Geothermal Energy: Pathways to Scaling International Deployment of Next-Generation Geothermal, also outlines some the technologies shaping the industry and identifies its global potential.
The paper considers the potential of next‑generation geothermal technologies — particularly Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and Advanced/Closed‑Loop Geothermal Systems (AGS) — to transform global clean power generation in the years ahead.
These advances leverage oil and gas industry expertise, such as deep and horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, to access superhot rock deep underground.
Again, North America is in a strong position to lead in this regard.
Meteoric electricity demand growth from data centres and Big Tech’s interest in next-generation geothermal only furthers this argument, the report adds.
“The world’s first commercial scale EGS facility is being finalised in Utah, closed-loop systems are under development in California and New Mexico, and other early-stage projects are beginning in the United States and Canada,” the report states.
“The US Air Force has contracted nearly all regional next-generation geothermal firms to develop their technologies on American military installations across Texas and California."
The report also highlights ways in which the US could take the lead in spreading these technologies to other parts of the globe.
It suggests the US International Development Finance Corporation move beyond traditional commercial loans to create risk-sharing instruments tailored to geothermal power’s unique challenges.
It also states that the US could incorporate geothermal into existing bilateral and multilateral energy, economic, and security platforms — a tactic it calls advancing ‘geothermal diplomacy’.
Startup company Geothermal Radar has announced the development of an exclusive global thermal model that enables users to exploit geothermal gradients across areas of interest.
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission (OECS) has officially opened the bids for the production drilling phase of the St. Kitts and Nevis geothermal power project, marking another major milestone in the region sustainable energy sector.
A new technoeconomic analysis has demonstrated that geothermal energy has strong potential to supply power and cooling to hyperscale data centers at competitive costs.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will hold a competitive geothermal lease sale on 10 July, 2025 in Malheur County, Oregon, offering two parcels of 5,235 acres each.
Halliburton has won a contract with GeoFrame Energy’s geothermal and direct lithium extraction (DLE) project where the operator will plan and design the first demonstration phase wells in the Smackover Formation in Eastern Texas.
Ormat Technologies has completed its acquisition of the Blue Mountain geothermal power plant in Nevada.
Enertech Global has unveiled its latest innovation in home comfort technology: the WV, a variable-speed hydronic heat pump designed to deliver high performance, installation ease, and outstanding flexibility.
US contractor CTA Construction Managers has landed a flagship job to build a new school fitted with pioneering geothermal heating and cooling systems.
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.