Accessing Earth’s abundant underground geothermal resources requires drilling, which can represent more than half of the total costs of a geothermal project. The Geothermal Technologies Office’s (GTO) Geothermal Drilling Technology Demonstration Campaign is funding two projects up to $20 million to reduce the cost of developing geothermal energy by improving drilling rates at least 25%.
Reducing drilling costs can help make geothermal competitive with other energy sources—in turn, spurring geothermal deployment. These projects will also drive progress toward DOE’s Enhanced Geothermal Shot™ goal to reduce the costs of enhanced geothermal systems 90% by 2035.
The Drilling Demonstrations projects build on earlier DOE investments to advance geothermal drilling technology and methods, helping to transfer research from laboratory settings into the field and, ultimately, the marketplace. It
Selected Projects
Geothermal Limitless Approach to Drilling Efficiencies (GLADE)
Principal Investigator: Occidental Petroleum
Location: Denver-Julesburg Basin, Colorado
Project Summary: Occidental Petroleum’s Geothermal Limitless Approach to Drilling Efficiencies (GLADE) project is drilling twin high-temperature geothermal wells in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, Colorado, using existing and novel drilling technologies. The GLADE team plans to drill to deeper and hotter depths, and at a faster rate, than most existing geothermal.
Evaluation of Physics-Based Drilling and Alternative Bit Design
Principal Investigator: Geysers Power Company
Location: The Geysers Geothermal Field, California
Project Summary: The Geysers Power Company and its partners from industry, national laboratories, and academia will deploy innovative drilling technology and methodologies to increase drilling rates by at least 25%. The work will include tests of varying methods in a range of temperatures and conditions.
The project at The Geysers geothermal field achieved rate of penetration (ROP) gains or increases in the speed at which the drill bit breaks the rock under it to deepen the borehole, in all three sections of its first successfully drilled well, according to initial analysis. In addition, drilling was accomplished with minimal disruptions to operations; in the one section where drill bits showed signs of wear and damage, the overall positive results present the opportunity for analysis to identify solutions. Drilling can contribute as much as 50% of development costs – ROP improvements like these demonstrated at The Geysers can help drive down costs and make geothermal technologies more commercially viable. Learn more in the project’s 2024 Stanford Geothermal Conference paper.
The Drilling Demonstrations initiative is part of GTO’s Hydrothermal Resources Program. Learn more about other Hydrothermal Resources efforts and GTO Priorities.