Trump administration’s policies support rapid growth of geothermal power in United States

This report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the growth potential of geothermal power in the United States under the Trump administration. It highlights how bipartisan support, technological advancements in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), and streamlined permitting are positioning geothermal energy for rapid expansion, particularly to meet the 24/7 power demands of AI data centers, even as other renewables like wind and solar face political headwinds.

• Geothermal energy is positioned for significant growth in the U.S. due to bipartisan support and technological advances, with 1.16 GW of capacity expected to come online by 2028. The U.S. currently leads the world in operating capacity with 3.7 GW, representing 23% of the global total.
• The Trump administration has signaled strong support for geothermal energy, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright issuing a Secretarial Order in February 2025 to "Unleash [the] Golden Era of American Energy Dominance." This support is contrasted with the administration's approach to wind and solar, which are specifically threatened in Project 2025.
• Policy changes in early 2025 have accelerated geothermal development, including the expansion of the Inflation Reduction Act to provide investment and production tax credits and a new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) categorical exclusion that could reduce permitting time by up to one year.
• Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) are a critical driver of growth, utilizing hydraulic fracturing techniques from the oil and gas industry to remove geological restrictions. Fervo Energy is a leading developer in this space, accounting for half of the 4.3 GW of U.S. geothermal capacity currently in development.
• Geothermal power is viewed as a strategic asset for the "AI arms race" because it provides the constant, 24/7 power required by data centers. Companies like Google and Meta are driving demand through power purchasing agreements (PPAs), such as Fervo's Project Red serving Google-owned data centers in Nevada.
• Despite the growth of geothermal, the report argues that a robust energy policy requires the rapid rollout of 218.4 GW of prospective wind and utility-scale solar capacity to meet 2030 electrical demand, with geothermal serving as a peaker plant supplement.
• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set specific targets for geothermal growth, including a goal of 5 GW of capacity by 2030 via the Liftoff program and a long-term goal of 90 GW by 2050. The Enhanced Geothermal Shot initiative aims to reduce the cost per megawatt hour by 90% by 2035.

APA

Bauer, S. (2025). Trump administration’s policies support rapid growth of geothermal power in United States. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/trump-administrations-policies-support-rapid-growth-geothermal-power-united-states-12-gw

Chicago

Bauer, Sophia. Trump administration’s policies support rapid growth of geothermal power in United States. Global Energy Monitor, 2025. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/trump-administrations-policies-support-rapid-growth-geothermal-power-united-states-12-gw.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bauer |first1=Sophia |title=Trump administration’s policies support rapid growth of geothermal power in United States |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=29 March 2025 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/trump-administrations-policies-support-rapid-growth-geothermal-power-united-states-12-gw |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bauer2025trump, author = {Bauer, Sophia}, title = {{Trump administration’s policies support rapid growth of geothermal power in United States}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/trump-administrations-policies-support-rapid-growth-geothermal-power-united-states-12-gw}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }