Scaling geothermal for the next era of reliable energy

As demand for always-on power grows, industry collaboration, technology innovation and project execution expertise are helping accelerate geothermal deployment at commercial scale. 

Why it matters

Reliable power is becoming increasingly important as electricity demand rises across industries, data centers and growing economies. Geothermal energy offers a unique opportunity to deliver always-on, renewable baseload power, but scaling development requires reducing risk, accelerating project delivery and expanding access to geothermal resources.

The challenge

The geothermal opportunity is significant, yet many projects still face barriers related to resource uncertainty, drilling complexity, development timelines and project economics.

Developers are looking for ways to improve confidence early in the project lifecycle while building projects that can scale efficiently over time.

What's changing

The industry is entering a new phase.

Advances in subsurface technologies, drilling capabilities, power generation systems and digital solutions are helping unlock geothermal energy in regions beyond where conventional geothermal resources exist. Commonly referred to as enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) and advanced geothermal systems (AGS), these next-generation geothermal approaches represent a huge opportunity to unlock more renewable, baseload power from the Earth in more places.

At Baker Hughes, we're bringing together subsurface, surface and industrial expertise to accelerate next-generation geothermal projects from resource evaluation through long-term operation.

What we’re saying

"The question for the geothermal industry is no longer whether underground heat can generate reliable power,” said Ahmed Eldemerdash, vice president, Climate Technology Solutions at Baker Hughes. “The real challenge is how quickly we can scale it. Success will depend on creating repeatable development models that reduce risk, improve project economics and accelerate deployment. Achieving that requires more than technology innovation alone. It requires an integrated approach and collaboration across the entire geothermal value chain."

What we’re doing

Developers, technology providers, drilling specialists, investors and policymakers each play a role in accelerating commercialization and reducing project risk. Baker Hughes is helping advance that progress through collaborations and projects that span the geothermal lifecycle:

• XGS Energy was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for  funding to support the  drilling of a deep vertical geothermal appraisal in New Mexico. We will support XGS alongside New Mexico Tech, and Sandia National Laboratories to gather critical subsurface data and guide future development.
• Through our work with Fervo Energy, we're supplying high-temperature well construction, drilling and production technologies along with power-generation technology for five of Fervo’s next-generation geothermal power plants at its Cape Station project near Milford, Utah. Once operational, the power plants will generate approximately 300 MW of clean, reliable, and affordable power to the grid, enough to power roughly 180,000 homes.
• We also recently entered a strategic agreement with Mantle Reach Power, an Encap Energy Transition Company, focused on advancing large-scale, next-generation geothermal development across North America. 

Together, these efforts illustrate a broader shift taking place across the industry.  The focus is moving beyond proving geothermal's viability toward delivering the technologies, collaborations and execution models needed to accelerate deployment, reduce risk and scale reliable, always-on energy to meet growing power demand.

Bottom line

Turning underground heat into reliable, always-on energy requires certainty, speed and scalability. By combining proven technologies, integrated expertise and strategic partnerships, Baker Hughes is rewriting The Energy Equation™ for the next chapter of geothermal development.