Superhot Rock Geothermal in Angola

The document highlights that just 1% of Angola's estimated superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 197 GW of energy capacity, far exceeding the country's projected 2050 electricity demand of 62,933 GWh. It argues that this technology could replace fossil fuels in the electricity sector, reducing emissions by approximately 4 megatonnes of CO2eq, while utilizing significantly less land than solar, wind, or biomass. Additionally, the report suggests that Angola's existing oil and gas workforce and subsurface expertise could facilitate a transition to this zero-carbon energy source to address energy poverty and low electrification rates in rural areas.

• Preliminary modeling indicates that Angola possesses significant superhot rock resources; specifically, 1% of this resource could provide 197 GW of energy capacity and generate over 1,637,656 GWh of electricity.
• The potential energy from 1% of Angola's superhot rock resource is estimated to be 98 times the country's 2021 electricity consumption and would be sufficient to meet the total projected electricity demand for 2050, which is 62,933 GWh.
• Superhot rock geothermal is characterized as an energy-dense resource with low land requirements; producing 1 GW requires roughly 12 km², which is significantly less than the land needed for solar (180 km²), offshore wind (520 km²), or biomass (14,000 km²).
• The transition to superhot rock geothermal could leverage Angola's existing oil and gas sector, allowing geoscientists, mechanics, and electricians to apply their subsurface expertise and assets to zero-carbon energy production.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Superhot Rock Geothermal in Angola. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144515/Angola-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Angola. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144515/Angola-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Angola |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144515/Angola-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 Angola}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144515/Angola-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }