Superhot Rock Geothermal in Thailand

The document highlights that just 1% of Thailand's estimated superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 294 GW of energy capacity, potentially replacing all coal and gas used for electricity production and reducing emissions by approximately 82 megatonnes of CO2eq. It argues that this technology offers a low land-use footprint and a reliable 24/7 power source that could significantly reduce Thailand's dependence on energy imports from Myanmar, Qatar, and Indonesia.

• Preliminary modeling indicates that 1% of Thailand's superhot rock geothermal resource has the capacity to provide 294 GW of energy, generating over 2,443,570 GWh of electricity. This amount is 14 times the country's 2021 electricity consumption of 176,932 GWh.
• Utilizing 1% of the superhot rock potential could theoretically replace all coal and gas used in Thailand's electricity production, cutting carbon emissions by about 82 megatonnes of CO2eq. This would represent 37% of the emissions reduction goal set in Thailand's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2030, although the technology is unlikely to reach commercial scale by that date.
• Superhot rock geothermal could enhance Thailand's energy security by replacing imports of coal (100%), natural gas (40%), and electricity (19%), which currently come primarily from Indonesia, Qatar, and Myanmar.
• The technology is characterized by high energy density and low land requirements. Producing 1 GW of superhot rock geothermal is estimated to require 12 km² of land, which is significantly less than the requirements for 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 Thailand. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145209/Thailand-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Thailand. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145209/Thailand-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Thailand |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145209/Thailand-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 Thailand}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145209/Thailand-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }