New federal funding opportunity for geothermal should prioritize extreme environments and deeper drilling

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) provides recommendations for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) $10.75 million funding opportunity for Innovative Research and Training for Subsurface Energy Production. CATF argues that to move beyond regions with shallow heat, funding must target the primary hurdles of drilling deeper than 7km and completing wells in temperatures exceeding 400°C. The document highlights the need for advanced digital twin capabilities and system-wide modeling to reduce development risk, noting that current data for extreme environments is insufficient. It emphasizes that public-private partnerships are essential to share the high cost and risk of exploratory drilling and to develop a skilled workforce. Specifically, CATF recommends that the DOE award projects focusing on either well field development at temperatures >400°C in shallow heat regions or drilling to 200°C at depths >7km.

• The primary technical barriers to the global commercialization of next-generation geothermal energy are the high cost of drilling to depths exceeding 7km and the difficulty of well completions in higher temperature systems.
• Current geothermal development lacks sufficient data on high temperatures, pressures, and deep depths to create reliable digital twins or integrated system-wide models that can optimize flow control and fracture design against Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
• Public-private partnerships are critical because exploratory drilling is too expensive and risky for private developers alone, and university-only research may lack the practical priorities needed for technological progress.
• To maximize technical breakthroughs, funding should be targeted toward two specific project types: those achieving temperatures over 400°C in shallow heat regions, and those drilling to 200°C at depths greater than 7km.

APA

Seligman, A., & Wymer, J. (2026). New federal funding opportunity for geothermal should prioritize extreme environments and deeper drilling. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2026/09/new-federal-funding-opportunity-geothermal-should-prioritize-extreme-environments-deeper-drilling/

Chicago

Seligman, Angela, and Jess Wymer. New federal funding opportunity for geothermal should prioritize extreme environments and deeper drilling. Clean Air Task Force, 2026. https://www.catf.us/2026/09/new-federal-funding-opportunity-geothermal-should-prioritize-extreme-environments-deeper-drilling/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Seligman |first1=Angela |last2=Wymer |first2=Jess |title=New federal funding opportunity for geothermal should prioritize extreme environments and deeper drilling |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=10 September 2026 |url=https://www.catf.us/2026/09/new-federal-funding-opportunity-geothermal-should-prioritize-extreme-environments-deeper-drilling/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{seligman2026new, author = {Seligman, Angela and Wymer, Jess}, title = {{New federal funding opportunity for geothermal should prioritize extreme environments and deeper drilling}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2026}, month = sep, url = {https://www.catf.us/2026/09/new-federal-funding-opportunity-geothermal-should-prioritize-extreme-environments-deeper-drilling/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }