Geothermal technology company Fervo Energy has kicked off an exploration drilling campaign, ceremoniously breaking ground Sept. 25 at its Cape Station project in Beaver County, Utah.

The geothermal company said it aims to deliver 400 megawatts (MW) of 24/7 carbon-free electricity from the project, bringing power to the grid in 2026 and fully scaling production in 2028.

“Beaver County, Utah is the perfect place to deploy our next-generation geothermal technology,” Fervo CEO Tim Latimer said in the release.

Researchers estimate southwest Utah has more than 10 gigawatts of high-quality geothermal reserves, according to Fervo. The state has been the site of research carried out over the last six years by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE).

“Thanks to cutting edge research and data collection from FORGE, Fervo can accelerate the production of the region’s geothermal resources,” he added.

In July, Fervo said the company proved the commercial viability of its drilling technology—which uses oil and gas horizontal drilling techniques—to capture geothermal energy. Utilizing multistage, plug-and-perforate stimulation treatment design with proppant to improve permeability of horizontal wells, the 30-day well test resulted in an enhanced geothermal system record-setting flow rate of 63 liters per second that made way for a record EGS output of 3.5 MW of produced electricity, the company said.

Comments