The Department of the Interior has approved the construction of the world’s largest geothermal power plant. The facility will have a full capacity output of 2 GW and power 2 million homes around the clock.
The key is in the technology used. Energy company Fervo Energy is leading the initiative, known as the Cape Geothermal Power Project, which will be completed in 2035 in arid and mountainous Beaver County, Utah.
The company has developed a unique technology that generates geothermal energy by injecting water into hot subterranean rock formations and then extracting steam from that water. This differs from traditional geothermal systems, which typically rely on naturally hot groundwater.
Inspired by fracking, Fervo Energy’s enhanced geothermal systems inject water into layers of hot rock to create fractures. This process allows the liquid to circulate and generate steam. The extracted steam is then used to turn turbines that produce electricity.
23 wells pads. The Utah facility will cover an area of 631 acres, including 148 acres of public lands leased from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management. Fervo Energy’s project marks the largest geothermal lease auction in more than 15 years.
The plan involves developing approximately 23 platforms for drilling and completing observation, production, and injection wells, creating the world’s largest geothermal power plant.
Geothermal energy is gaining momentum. Geothermal energy is a steady and clean source of power that remains largely untapped compared to other renewables like wind and solar.
The Cape Geothermal Power initiative represents a significant move towards utilizing the vast heat beneath the Earth’s surface, which has the potential to accelerate the decarbonization of the power sector and help meet climate goals.
As the geothermal sector grows, companies like Google are investing in it to power their data centers with a reliable supply of clean energy. Until battery technology improves, solar and wind may struggle to compete.
Image | Fervo Energy
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