US awards $99 million for geothermal drilling, technology projects

The US Department of Energy on Monday said it chose 21 projects for up to $99 million in funding to advance geothermal energy development, which it described as a source of around-the-clock power that has drawn growing interest from investors and energy companies. The projects are intended to support field-scale tests of next-generation geothermal technologies and exploration drilling to identify promising geothermal resources across the United States. Five projects will test enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS, technologies, while 16 projects will focus on exploration drilling.

Recipients include Fervo Energy, which was selected for two projects, including an enhanced geothermal systems demonstration in Idaho and exploration drilling in Nevada. Other selected companies include Quaise Energy, Zanskar Geothermal, XGS Energy and Invenergy. DOE said data generated under the projects will be made publicly available through its Geothermal Data Repository to help guide future technology development and resource exploration.

"These projects will empower American innovators to unlock the tremendous geothermal resources beneath our feet," DOE Under Secretary of Energy Kyle Haustveit said the department is advancing next-generation geothermal technologies under President Trump's leadership, with the aim of lowering costs, strengthening American energy dominance and converting more of the country's domestic geothermal resources into reliable and affordable power. Geothermal energy has become one of the fastest-growing areas of the US power sector as developers apply oil-and-gas drilling methods to tap underground heat for electricity generation.