Superhot Rock Geothermal in Uzbekistan

The document highlights that just 1% of Uzbekistan's superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 8 GW of capacity, generating over 69,871 GWh of electricity, which is approximately 98% of the country's 2021 annual electricity demand. It argues that this technology could replace coal and gas imports, reduce land-use footprints compared to other renewables, and leverage existing subsurface expertise from the oil and gas sector.

• Preliminary modeling indicates that Uzbekistan possesses significant superhot rock resources; specifically, 1% of this resource could provide 8 GW of energy capacity and generate more than 69,871 GWh of electricity.
• The potential energy from 1% of Uzbekistan's superhot rock resource is nearly equivalent to the country's total electricity consumption in 2021, which was 71,362 GWh, and could theoretically meet 98% of its annual demand.
• Superhot rock geothermal could significantly improve Uzbekistan's energy independence by replacing electricity imports (currently 9%), natural gas imports (4%), and coal imports (36%), the latter of which primarily come from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
• The technology is highly land-efficient, requiring approximately 12 km² of land to produce 1 GW, which is substantially less than the land required for solar (180 km²), natural gas (160 km²), offshore wind (520 km²), or biomass (14,000 km²).
• The transition to superhot rock geothermal could utilize Uzbekistan'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 Uzbekistan. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145240/Uzbekistan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Superhot Rock Geothermal in Uzbekistan. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145240/Uzbekistan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Superhot Rock Geothermal in Uzbekistan |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145240/Uzbekistan-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 Uzbekistan}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/22145240/Uzbekistan-SHR-Regional-Assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }