Superhot Rock Geothermal in Colombia

The document highlights that just 1% of Colombia's estimated superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 207 GW of capacity, generating over 1,721,577 GWh of electricity. This amount is significantly higher than Colombia's 2021 electricity consumption of 84,425 GWh and its projected 2050 demand of 280,338 GWh. Utilizing this resource could theoretically replace all coal and gas in the country's electricity production, reducing emissions by approximately 13 megatonnes of CO2eq, which represents 8% of Colombia's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goal. The technology is described as having a very low land footprint, requiring roughly 12 km² per 1 GW, and providing reliable 24/7 power that reduces the need for excess transmission and backup generation.

• Preliminary modeling indicates that Colombia possesses substantial superhot rock geothermal resources; specifically, 1% of this resource could provide 207 GW of energy capacity and generate more than 1,721,577 GWh of electricity.
• The potential energy from 1% of Colombia's superhot rock resource far exceeds the country's current and future needs, being 20 times the 2021 electricity consumption (84,425 GWh) and capable of meeting the projected 2050 demand of 280,338 GWh with over 1,441,240 GWh remaining for other uses like hydrogen production or exports.
• Superhot rock geothermal is highly land-efficient, requiring approximately 12 km² per 1 GW of production, which is significantly less than natural gas (160 km²), solar (180 km²), offshore wind (520 km²), or biomass (14,000 km²).

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Superhot Rock Geothermal in Colombia. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144648/Colombia-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Colombia. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144648/Colombia-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Colombia |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144648/Colombia-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 Colombia}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144648/Colombia-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }