Superhot Rock Geothermal in Ecuador

The document highlights that just 1% of Ecuador's estimated superhot rock geothermal resources could provide 35 GW of capacity, far exceeding the country's 2021 electricity consumption of 32,124 GWh. It argues that this technology could replace fossil fuel power generation, reduce electricity sector emissions by approximately 4 megatonnes of CO2eq, and leverage existing subsurface expertise from the oil and gas sector.

• Preliminary modeling indicates that Ecuador possesses significant superhot rock resources; specifically, 1% of these resources could provide 35 GW of energy capacity and generate over 294,756 GWh of electricity.
• The potential energy from 1% of Ecuador's superhot rock resources is estimated to be nine times the country's electricity consumption in 2021, which was 32,124 GWh.
• Superhot rock geothermal is characterized by high energy density and low land requirements, requiring approximately 12 km² of land per 1 GW, significantly less than natural gas (160 km²), solar (180 km²), offshore wind (520 km²), or biomass (14,000 km²).
• The transition to superhot rock geothermal could utilize Ecuador's existing oil and gas workforce, as geoscientists, mechanics, and electricians possess transferable subsurface expertise and assets.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Superhot Rock Geothermal in Ecuador. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144708/Ecuador-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Ecuador. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144708/Ecuador-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Ecuador |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144708/Ecuador-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 Ecuador}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144708/Ecuador-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }