The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in South America

The document explores the theoretical capacity of superhot rock energy in South America, highlighting its potential to meet rising energy demands, reduce fossil fuel reliance, and leverage existing oil and gas expertise, while noting that commercial scale is not expected by 2030.

• Preliminary modeling by the Clean Air Task Force and the University of Twente indicates that superhot rock energy potential exists across approximately 11% of South America's land area, which is more than 2 million square kilometers, at depths below 12.5 km.
• The scale of the resource is vast; just 1% of South America's superhot rock resource could potentially provide 6.1 terawatts of energy capacity and generate nearly 51,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity.
• Superhot rock energy is characterized by high energy density and low land use; producing 1 GW is estimated to require roughly 12 km² of land, significantly less than natural gas (160 km²), solar (180 km²), offshore wind (520 km²), or biomass (14,000 km²).
• South America's oil and gas sector is well-positioned to support this transition due to existing subsurface expertise, drilling rigs, and a workforce of geoscientists, mechanics, and electricians who could transition to a zero-carbon employment pathway.
• While superhot rock energy could eventually replace fossil-based sources and help meet the combined NDCs of South American countries to reduce emissions by over 1,800 megatonnes of CO2eq annually by 2030, it is unlikely to reach commercial scale in time to support those specific 2030 goals.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2024). The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in South America. https://www.catf.us/superhot-rock/heat-mapping/south-america/

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in South America. 2024. https://www.catf.us/superhot-rock/heat-mapping/south-america/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in South America |date=21 March 2024 |url=https://www.catf.us/superhot-rock/heat-mapping/south-america/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2024potential, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in South America}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.catf.us/superhot-rock/heat-mapping/south-america/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }