U researchers will advance next-generation geothermal technologies through field-scale testing and exploration in partnership with industry

University of Utah researchers are taking a leading role in a new national effort to expand geothermal energy development, with two U projects selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for field-scale testing and geothermal exploration.

Researchers at the U’s Energy & Geoscience Institute (EGI) will work with industry partners on an enhanced geothermal systems demonstration at the Dixie Valley West geothermal field in Nevada and an exploration project at the Cove Fort geothermal field in Utah. Together, the projects have been selected for up to approximately $35 million in DOE funding, subject to award negotiations.

The projects are part of a DOE initiative supporting 21 projects across the country to test next-generation geothermal technologies and characterize promising geothermal resources. Five projects were selected for field-scale enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS, testing, including the University of Utah’s Dixie Valley West project. Sixteen projects were selected for exploration drilling, including the U’s work at Cove Fort.

“The University of Utah has spent decades building the scientific expertise, field experience and industry relationships needed to advance geothermal technologies in real-world settings,” said Erin Rothwell, Ph.D., senior vice president for research at the University of Utah. “These projects give our researchers an opportunity to build on that foundation at commercially relevant conditions and help move promising geothermal technologies closer to broader deployment.”

Testing EGS at Dixie Valley West

At the Dixie Valley West geothermal field in Nevada, EGI researchers will work with Ormat Technologies and SLB to design, drill, stimulate, operate and validate a high-performance EGS doublet.

The project was selected for up to $25 million in DOE funding.

Unlike conventional geothermal systems, which rely on naturally occurring combinations of heat, fluid and permeable rock, EGS technologies are designed to create or enhance underground pathways that allow fluid to circulate through hot rock and bring heat to the surface.

At Dixie Valley West, the research team will test whether an engineered reservoir developed adjacent to an existing hydrothermal system can sustain circulation, improve permeability and produce thermal output at levels relevant to commercial geothermal development.

“This project is an opportunity to continue building on the successes we’ve realized during the Utah FORGE project, and apply them in an operating geothermal environment,” said Dr. Kristie McLin, Director of Research and Science at EGI, and the principal investigator of the Dixie Valley West project. “The goal is not simply to further demonstrate that the technology works, but to generate even more field data and operational knowledge needed to understand how these systems can be developed reliably and at scale.”

Exploring the potential at Cove Fort

A second U project will focus on the Cove Fort geothermal field in Utah, where EGI researchers and Ormat will conduct targeted drilling and subsurface characterization of a large thermal anomaly.

The project was selected for up to $9.7 million in DOE funding.

Researchers will use modern drilling, logging and data-integration techniques to better understand how heat and fluids are distributed through carbonate rock formations beneath the site. That information could help characterize additional geothermal resources and reduce uncertainty associated with future development.

The work builds on EGI’s long history of geothermal research across the Intermountain West and its leadership of Utah FORGE, DOE’s dedicated field laboratory for developing and testing enhanced geothermal systems technologies near Milford, Utah.

“Geothermal research is fundamentally a subsurface challenge: understanding where the heat is, how fluids move and how we can engineer systems that perform predictably is imperative,” said Dr. Clay Jones, principal investigator on the Cove Fort Project. “Projects like these allow us to continue seeking new insights in the field while working directly with the companies positioned to put the results into practice.”

Extending the U’s geothermal research partnerships

EGI researchers are also participating as subawardees on two additional projects selected through the DOE initiative, extending the U’s involvement beyond the two projects for which it is named as a selectee.

Those collaborations include work with Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals on a selected geothermal project and with 400C Energy on an exploration project in Beaver County, Utah. The 400C project will deepen an existing well at Salt Cove to investigate whether the area contains an extension of the nearby Roosevelt Hot Springs hydrothermal system or another high-temperature geothermal resource.

Together, the projects reflect a research model EGI has developed over decades: combining fundamental geoscience, field-scale research and industry partnerships to address the technical barriers between promising geothermal resources and commercial development.

“These new projects are another example of EGI’s continued leadership in impactful energy research,” said Dr. Milind Deo, Director of the Energy & Geosciene Institute. “We have a long history in helping unlock the potential of geothermal energy and helping industry move from the theoretical to reality.”

DOE has said data generated through the new projects will be made publicly available through its Geothermal Data Repository, allowing researchers and industry to use results from the individual field sites to inform future geothermal technology development and exploration.

About the University of Utah

The University of Utah is the state’s flagship institution of higher education, with 18 schools and colleges, more than 100 undergraduate majors and graduate programs, and an enrollment of more than 36,000 students. It is a member of the Association of American Universities—an invitation-only, prestigious group of 71 leading research institutions. Ranked #1 public university in the West by the Wall Street Journal, the U strives to be a model public university in delivering unmatched value in higher education and health care while making social, economic and cultural contributions that improve the quality of life throughout the state, the nation and the world.

About the Energy & Geoscience Institute

The Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah conducts multidisciplinary research addressing critical energy and geoscience challenges. Its research portfolio includes geothermal energy, carbon management, critical minerals, oil and gas, hydrogen and energy systems, connecting fundamental and applied research with government and industry partners.

Media Contact: Christopher Katis, ckatis@egi.utah.edu