Geothermal company Fervo Energy on Sept. 10 said it has achieved record-breaking commercial flow rates at its Cape Station well site in Beaver County, Utah.

The 30-day test achieved a maximum flow rate of 107 kg/s at high temperature, the company said in a news release. The flow enabled production of more than 10 megawatts (MW) of electricity, which is three times the per production well output the company achieved with its Project Red commercial pilot in Nevada.

“Fervo continues to achieve technical milestones for geothermal development that experts predicted to be set decades from now,” said Fervo Energy CEO Tim Latimer. “At a time when 24/7 clean energy is urgently needed, Fervo has shown that the geothermal industry is ready to meet that need with power projects that can come online this decade.”

The Houston-based company has been marking milestones in the geothermal energy space as it utilizes oilfield technology, techniques and equipment. These have included horizontal drilling, polycrystalline diamond compact drillbits and mud coolers. Fervo said fossil fuel workers have accounted for more than 90% of on-site labor hours at Cape Station.

Results of the well test demonstrate the company’s utility-scale power generation capabilities

and establishes Cape Station as “the most productive enhanced geothermal system in history,” Fervo said.

The Cape Station project will generate 90 MW of renewable energy capacity during its first phase and is expected to begin delivering electricity to the grid in 2026. The multi-phased development will create 400 MW of capacity by 2028.

“The accomplishments that Fervo is announcing today confirm that next-generation geothermal is on the cusp of commercial success,” said Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “It’s this type of literal ground-breaking achievement that is paving the way to expand geothermal energy and realize its crucial role in our clean energy future.”

Fervo also announced it secured a $100 million construction loan from X-Caliber Rural Capital to accelerate its Cape Station operations. X-Caliber’s affiliate XRL-ALC closed on the bridge loan.

XRA provided $65 million to fund development costs associated with the subsurface development, including geothermal wells, pads, roads and associated infrastructure. The remaining funds are allocated to development costs associated with surface development such as power plants and associated energy collection and distribution infrastructure, Fervo said.

“Helping this significant project advance and grow in rural America is a true testament to how investing in communities and businesses not only has local influence,” said Jordan Blanchard, co-founder of X-Caliber Rural Capital, “but can have a global, long-lasting impact by promoting sustainability and stimulating rural economies.”

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