Superhot Rock Geothermal in Eritrea

The document highlights that just 1% of Eritrea's estimated superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 77 GW of energy capacity, far exceeding the country's 2021 electricity consumption of 384 GWh. While not expected to reach commercial scale by 2030, this technology could theoretically replace all fossil fuels in Eritrea's electricity sector, reducing emissions by 0.33 megatonnes of CO2eq, which represents 11% of the nation's NDC goal. The report emphasizes the technology's low land footprint—requiring roughly 12 km² per 1 GW—and its ability to provide reliable, 24/7 firm power.

• Preliminary modeling by the Clean Air Task Force and the University of Twente indicates that Eritrea possesses significant superhot rock resources. Specifically, 1% of this resource could provide 77 GW of energy capacity and generate over 639,821 GWh of electricity, which is 1,666 times the country's electricity consumption in 2021.
• Utilizing 1% of the superhot rock geothermal potential could theoretically eliminate all coal, oil, and natural gas from Eritrea's electricity production. This would reduce carbon emissions by approximately 0.33 megatonnes of CO2eq, contributing 11% toward Eritrea's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goal of reducing emissions by 3.2 megatonnes of CO2eq by 2030.
• Superhot rock geothermal is characterized as an energy-dense resource with a significantly lower land-use footprint than other energy sources. It is estimated to require 12 km² of land to produce 1 GW, compared to 160 km² for natural gas, 180 km² for solar, 520 km² for offshore wind, and 14,000 km² for biomass.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Superhot Rock Geothermal in Eritrea. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144723/Eritrea-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Eritrea. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144723/Eritrea-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Eritrea |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144723/Eritrea-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 Eritrea}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22144723/Eritrea-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }