-- The US Department of Energy on Tuesday announced a $14 million geothermal project in Pennsylvania aimed at advancing enhanced geothermal systems technology.
The DOE's Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office announced plans to support field demonstrations of enhanced geothermal systems.
The initiative is being carried out in coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to expand the potential for reliable, lower-cost electricity generation, the department said.
The project will focus on the Appalachian Utica Shale, leveraging its thermal resources to evaluate whether enhanced geothermal systems can be effectively scaled across the eastern US, the department said.
Enhanced geothermal systems enable energy production by circulating fluids through hot underground rock, even in areas lacking natural water flow or the permeability needed for traditional geothermal extraction.
The initiative seeks to improve understanding of how these engineered reservoirs perform across varying geological conditions, which is key to broader geothermal deployment, the department said.
As part of the project, an existing horizontal shale gas well will be converted for geothermal use, while testing well placement strategies and fracture creation techniques, the department said.
If successful, the initiative could establish a scalable blueprint for deploying enhanced geothermal systems across multiple regions in the US, enabling broader adoption of the technology, the department said.