Superhot Rock Geothermal in South Sudan

The document highlights the immense potential of superhot rock geothermal energy in South Sudan, noting that just 1% of its estimated resource could provide 240 GW of capacity, far exceeding the country's 2021 electricity consumption of 581 GWh and its 2030 NDC goal of 2,729.5 MW of renewables. It argues that this technology offers a low land-use footprint, provides reliable 24/7 power, and could foster economic growth and job creation, although it is unlikely to reach commercial scale in time for 2030 targets.

• Preliminary modeling by the Clean Air Task Force and the University of Twente indicates that South Sudan possesses significant superhot rock resources. Specifically, 1% of these resources could provide 240 GW of energy capacity, generating over 1,997,001 GWh of electricity, which is 3,437 times the country's 2021 electricity consumption of 581 GWh.
• Superhot rock geothermal capacity in South Sudan far exceeds the country's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goal of installing 2,729.5 MW of renewables by 2030. However, the technology is not expected to reach commercial scale in time to contribute to these 2030 goals.
• Superhot rock geothermal is characterized as an energy-dense resource with significantly lower land requirements than other energy sources. Producing 1 GW of this energy is estimated to require approximately 12 km² of land, compared to 180 km² for solar, 160 km² for natural gas, 520 km² for offshore wind, and 14,000 km² for biomass.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Superhot Rock Geothermal in South Sudan. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145127/South-Sudan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in South Sudan. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145127/South-Sudan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in South Sudan |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145127/South-Sudan-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 South Sudan}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145127/South-Sudan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }