USA touts geothermal potential as it approves mega-project

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 18, 2024 – The US government has given the green light to a 2-GW geothermal project and introduced a measure to speed up permitting, local media reported on Friday.

The country’s Bureau of Land Management gave the final approval to Fervo Energy’s Cape Geothermal Power Project in the western state of Utah.

The project, covering an area of around 2.5 square kilometres, has the potential to provide electricity to as many as 2 million homes. Its first phase is expected to begin supplying continuous energy to the grid in 2026.

Also on Friday, the bureau proposed a new measure to help speed up the discovery of new geothermal resources. The “categorical exclusion” will translate into a faster permitting process for geothermal projects.

White House national climate adviser Ali Zaidi was quoted in the Washington Post as saying that advances in geothermal technology – leading to what is now termed “enhanced geothermal” – have opened the door for the energy source to play a larger role in meeting the country’s energy needs.

Fervo Energy’s high-tech approach includes deploying data analytics to locate resources and optimise flow distribution through the reservoir to maximise heat mining efficiency.

The USA’s geothermal capacity currently stands at 4 GW, Zaidi said.

Photo courtesy of Fervo Energy.

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