21 Projects Selected to Advance EGS Field Tests and Exploration Drilling
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Geothermal has selected 21 projects to help expand affordable and reliable geothermal energy across the United States by validating technical approaches, addressing key barriers, and generating new subsurface data and one of the projects involves an Oklahoma City company.
GreenFire Energy is one of 16 projects working on exploration drilling to gather the subsurface data needed to characterize and potentially confirm promising next-generation and conventional hydrothermal geothermal resources, according to Energy Department’s announcement. The Oklahoma City company describes itself as a tech-enabled next-generation geothermal developer delivering scalable, baseload power to energy-intensive industries. By matching technology to geology, GreenFire Energy takes a technology-agnostic approach—integrating AGS, EGS, and conventional methods—to select the best solution for each resource and accelerate deployment with reduced risk. It specializes in co-located, behind-the-meter (BTM) solutions and revitalizing underutilized geothermal fields to create productive, low-carbon energy assets.
According to the Energy Department, the selections include five projects for enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) field tests that will evaluate and validate EGS reservoir development technologies and methods, and 16 projects for exploration drilling to characterize and confirm promising next-generation and hydrothermal resources. The projects will receive a total of up to $99 million for the first budget period of work, with additional funding subject to Congressional appropriations and successful completion of agreed-upon milestones and performance criteria.
Data generated by these projects will be publicly available through DOE’s Geothermal Data Repository (GDR), providing industry and researchers access to significant data about field tests and geothermal exploration.
Sixteen projects are working on exploration drilling to gather the subsurface data needed to characterize and potentially confirm promising next-generation and conventional hydrothermal geothermal resources:
- GreenFire Energy Inc. (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) — Confirm and characterize deep geothermal resource potential in Sierra Army Depot (California) by siting and drilling a vertical well targeting 204°C and integrating legacy data, geophysical surveys, drilling, reservoir testing, and modeling
- XGS Energy Inc. (Palo Alto, California) — Drill deep vertical appraisal well in Socorro County, New Mexico, acquiring downhole temperature, logging, core, and continuous electronic drilling record data to validate subsurface datasets, update thermal and geologic models, and assess resource suitability
Data generated by these projects will be publicly available through DOE’s Geothermal Data Repository (GDR), giving industry, researchers, and other stakeholders access to information from the field tests and geothermal exploration activities. Making these data available can extend the value of the projects beyond individual sites by helping inform future technology development and geothermal exploration across the industry.
GreenFire Energy has numerous projects underway worldwide. GreenFire Energy, the firm, is working with Calpine Corporation (owner of the Geysers Power Company, LLC.), on a project to demonstrate GreenFire AGS design called Steam and 2-Phase in idle wells. The aim is to produce energy while maintaining the long-term sustainability of the geothermal resource. The single well project is intended to prove the commercial and technical feasibility of GreenFire AGS for renewable power generation and to determine if it can be deployed more broadly at The Geysers. The project is funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) through a grant of over $2.7 million under the BRIDGE (Bringing Rapid Innovation Development to Green Energy) program.
It also works closely with Oklahoma projects including the First-Ever Closed-loop geothermal test facility. Spearheaded by Baker Hughes, the consortium member companies include Continental Resources, INPEX, Chesapeake Energy Corporation, and California Resources Corporation, along with several technology partners including GreenFire Energy. The first-ever closed-loop, geothermal test facility was built at the Baker Hughes Energy Innovation Center, located within the Hamm Institute for American Energy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA to test new geothermal technologies and inform the next step when taken out to the field for pilot studies.
A year ago, GreenFire signed an agreement with Toyo Engineering Corporation to jointly deploy GreenFire Energy’s Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS) in the Asia Pacific region, with initial focus on Japan and Indonesia— and future collaboration opportunities in North America.
Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.
