Superhot Rock Geothermal in Bulgaria

The document highlights that just 1% of Bulgaria's estimated superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 98 GW of energy capacity, generating over 812,237 GWh of electricity. This amount is 17 times the country's 2021 electricity consumption and could theoretically replace all coal and gas used for electricity production, reducing emissions by approximately 21 megatonnes of CO2eq. The report argues that superhot rock geothermal offers a low land-use footprint (12 km² per 1 GW) and provides reliable 24/7 power, which would reduce Bulgaria's dependence on coal (10% imported) and natural gas (96% imported).

• Preliminary modelling by the Clean Air Task Force and the University of Twente indicates that Bulgaria possesses significant superhot rock resources. Specifically, 1% of this resource could provide 98 GW of energy capacity and generate more than 812,237 GWh of electricity, which is 17 times the nation's 2021 electricity consumption.
• Utilizing 1% of Bulgaria's superhot rock geothermal potential could theoretically eliminate the use of coal and gas in electricity production, cutting carbon emissions by about 21 megatonnes of CO2eq. This would represent 51% of Bulgaria's share of the EU's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goal, although the technology is not expected to reach commercial scale by 2030.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Superhot Rock Geothermal in Bulgaria. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144608/Bulgaria-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Bulgaria. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144608/Bulgaria-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Bulgaria |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144608/Bulgaria-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 Bulgaria}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144608/Bulgaria-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }