Superhot Rock Geothermal in Afghanistan

The document highlights Afghanistan's significant superhot rock geothermal resources, noting that just 1% of this endowment could provide 144 GW of energy capacity. It argues that this energy source could reduce energy poverty, lower land-use requirements compared to other renewables, and provide reliable firm power to the electrical grid.

• Preliminary modeling by the Clean Air Task Force and the University of Twente indicates that Afghanistan possesses substantial superhot rock resources; specifically, 1% of the country's resource could provide 144 GW of energy capacity and generate over 1,201,835 GWh of electricity, which is equivalent to 707 million barrels of oil.
• Superhot rock geothermal is characterized as an energy-dense resource with significantly lower land requirements than other energy sources. Producing 1 GW of superhot rock geothermal is estimated to require approximately 12 km² of land, whereas natural gas requires 160 km², solar 180 km², offshore wind 520 km², and biomass 14,000 km².

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Superhot Rock Geothermal in Afghanistan. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144505/Afghanistan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Afghanistan. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144505/Afghanistan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Afghanistan |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144505/Afghanistan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendsuperhot, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Superhot Rock Geothermal in Afghanistan}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144505/Afghanistan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }