Fervo Energy Drills 15,000-FT, 500°F Geothermal Well, Pushing the Envelope for EGS Deployment
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fervo Energy today announced the successful drilling and logging of its Sugarloaf appraisal well, an operational achievement that demonstrates the rapid advancement and scalability of enhanced geothermal systems ('EGS'). The well was drilled to a true vertical depth of 15,765 feet and is projected to reach a bottomhole temperature of 520 °F after full thermal equilibration. Fervo completed the Sugarloaf well in just 16 drilling days, representing a 79% reduction in drilling time compared to the US Department of Energy baseline for ultradeep geothermal wells.
Fervo completed the Sugarloaf well in just 16 drilling days, representing a 79% reduction in drilling time compared to the US Department of Energy baseline for ultradeep geothermal wells.
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While drilling what is Fervo's hottest and deepest well to-date, the company was able to achieve multiple drilling performance records, including a maximum bit run length of 3,290 feet, a maximum average rate of penetration ('ROP') of 95 feet/hour, and an instantaneous ROP of over 300 feet/hour at depths greater than 15,000 feet. These results expand the window for commercial viability of EGS into a significantly deeper and hotter regime, paving the way to deploy the technology outside of the western US.
In parallel, Fervo has obtained an independent geothermal reserves report from worldwide consulting firm DeGolyer & MacNaughton for Cape Phase I. This comprehensive technical and economic evaluation of Fervo's development plan provides external verification on Fervo's ability to deliver contracted clean energy volumes to customers including Shell Energy and Southern California Edison.
DeGolyer & MacNaughton's independent estimates of heat-in-place and reserves involved a comprehensive review of Fervo's drilling data, geologic models, and production test results. The report highlights that Fervo's proprietary EGS design successfully unlocks thermal recovery factors in the range of 50 to 60%, tripling the amount of useful thermal energy reserves compared to conventional geothermal technology. The report confirms that the Cape Station project area can support over 5 GW of development at depths of up to 13,000 feet. The new Sugarloaf drilling results are expected to increase Cape's resource potential even further.
Various geothermal resource evaluation and grid modeling studies – including recent reports by the US Geological Survey, Princeton University, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory – have now aligned that there are hundreds of gigawatts of opportunity for geothermal deployment in the range of 10,000 to 20,000 feet and 400 to 600 °F.
'Back in July 2020, we performed our first EGS field trials at reservoir temperatures of around 300 °F,' said Jack Norbeck, CTO and co-founder of Fervo Energy. 'In just a few years, we've developed innovations that enable our technology to operate reliably at temperatures exceeding 500 °F. These drilling results demonstrate that Fervo is operating in the optimal geothermal conditions for large-scale commercial deployment.'
As US power demand accelerates - driven by AI, electrification, and grid reliability needs - Fervo's ability to unlock firm, carbon-free energy from heat reservoirs miles underground positions it as a core contributor to the American energy mix.
About Fervo Energy
Fervo Energy provides 24/7 carbon-free energy through the development of next-generation geothermal power. Fervo's mission is to leverage innovation in geoscience to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy. With breakthroughs in horizontal drilling, fiber-optic sensing, and advanced reservoir engineering, Fervo is making geothermal scalable, competitive, and ready to meet growing global demand. For more information, visit www.fervoenergy.com.
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Newsweek
17 hours ago
- Newsweek
Fervo Uses Oil Drilling Technology to Dig Deep for Clean Geothermal Energy
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The U.S. oil and gas industry sparked an energy revolution a few decades ago by thinking in a different direction—literally. Horizontal drilling, combined with hydraulic fracturing, unlocked new petroleum reserves and quickly propelled the U.S. to global leadership in oil and gas. Fervo Energy, a company headquartered in oil capital Houston, is aiming for a similar revolution in geothermal energy by borrowing a page from the oil industry's playbook. "Drilling is drilling," Fervo's Vice President of Strategy Sarah Jewett told Newsweek. "That is kind of the 'aha' moment that our founders really found when they started this business." By using drilling technology advanced by the oil and gas industry, Fervo is drilling deeper, drilling sideways and drilling in new places to unlock new reserves of heat energy. A member of Fervo Energy's drilling rig crew climbs to the top of the rig in Utah. A Fervo well recently reached a depth of more than 15,000 feet, where rock is greater than 500... A member of Fervo Energy's drilling rig crew climbs to the top of the rig in Utah. A Fervo well recently reached a depth of more than 15,000 feet, where rock is greater than 500 degrees Fahrenheit. More Courtesy of Fervo Energy "There's no reason why geothermal energy wells should be using older, more outdated rigs," Jewett said. Traditional geothermal energy relies on finding steam-bearing resources and drilling into them vertically to capture the steam heat. It requires not only hot rock but also enough permeability in the rock to allow water and heat to come together. That made geothermal power geographically limited to those places with just the right combination of factors. Fervo is developing an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) that creates some of those conditions by making rock permeable and injecting liquid where hot rock is available. Instead of just drilling vertical wells, the company uses horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques to harvest naturally occurring heat. "We are just using the heat from rock under the earth rather than steam directly to create electricity," Jewett explained. The U.S. Department of Energy calls EGS "the next frontier" for renewable energy. Because the technology can tap a much wider range of geothermal resources, the DOE estimates that EGS has the potential to power more than 65 million American homes and businesses. "Really, hot rock is everywhere," Jewett said. "It's just a question of how deep that rock exists and how economic is it to actually get to [that] depth." Rock that reaches 400 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit is, generally speaking, closer to the surface in the western U.S. than in the eastern states. Fervo is focusing efforts in southwestern Utah, site of the company's Cape Station development where the company is building three power plants. Fervo Energy is building three power plants as part of its Cape Station development in southwestern Utah. The first is scheduled to come online in the summer of 2026. Fervo Energy is building three power plants as part of its Cape Station development in southwestern Utah. The first is scheduled to come online in the summer of 2026. Courtesy of Fervo Energy Jewett said Fervo's first power plant is scheduled to come online next summer with the first phase delivering 100 megawatts of clean power. An additional 400 megawatts of capacity is scheduled at the same site by 2028, and power purchasers include Shell Energy and Southern California Edison. Last week the company announced that a new round of funding for the Cape Station development had secured $206 million from investors including Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, founded by Bill Gates. In another announcement last week, Fervo shared results from one of its exploration wells that pushed the boundaries of geothermal technology. The company's deepest well yet reached more than 15,750 feet, nearly 3 miles beneath the surface. Rock temperature at that depth is greater than 500 degrees, Jewett said, and the company is testing what happens to drill bits, casings and electronics at very high heat. "One of our paths to innovation we call 'boring is beautiful,'" she said. As wells reach greater depth and higher heat, companies providing parts and services test the performance of drilling equipment under increasingly harsh conditions. "That has been a really virtuous cycle of innovation between us and our partners." 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Yahoo
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- Yahoo
Fervo Energy lands $206M in financing to build massive geothermal power plant
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TechCrunch
11-06-2025
- TechCrunch
Fervo Energy lands $206M in financing to build massive geothermal power plant
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