BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 2. Baker Hughes is highlighting industry collaboration, technology innovation and project execution expertise as key factors in accelerating the deployment of geothermal energy at commercial scale.
The company said rising electricity demand across industries, data centers and growing economies is increasing the need for reliable, always-on power, while geothermal energy offers an opportunity to provide renewable baseload electricity. However, geothermal projects continue to face challenges related to resource uncertainty, drilling complexity, development timelines and project economics, Baker Hughes said.
According to the company, advances in subsurface technologies, drilling capabilities, power generation systems and digital solutions are helping expand geothermal development beyond areas with conventional geothermal resources. Next-generation approaches, including enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) and advanced geothermal systems (AGS), could help unlock geothermal resources in more locations, it said.
"The question for the geothermal industry is no longer whether underground heat can generate reliable power," said Ahmed Eldemerdash, vice president, Climate Technology Solutions at Baker Hughes.
"The real challenge is how quickly we can scale it. Success will depend on creating repeatable development models that reduce risk, improve project economics and accelerate deployment," he noted.
Eldemerdash added that scaling geothermal would require an integrated approach and collaboration across the geothermal value chain.
Baker Hughes said it is working with developers, technology providers and other industry participants across the geothermal project lifecycle. The company recently began supporting XGS Energy, along with New Mexico Tech and Sandia National Laboratories, on a U.S. Department of Energy-funded project involving the drilling of a deep vertical geothermal appraisal well in New Mexico. The project is expected to provide subsurface data to support future development.
Baker Hughes is also supplying high-temperature well construction, drilling and production technologies, as well as power-generation equipment, for five next-generation geothermal power plants being developed by Fervo Energy at its Cape Station project near Milford, Utah.
Once operational, the plants are expected to generate around 300 megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 180,000 homes, according to Baker Hughes. In addition, Baker Hughes recently entered into a strategic agreement with Mantle Reach Power, an EnCap Energy Transition company, to advance large-scale next-generation geothermal development across North America.
The company said these projects reflect a broader shift in the geothermal industry from demonstrating the viability of the technology toward developing the technologies, partnerships and project execution models required to reduce risk and accelerate commercial deployment. Baker Hughes said combining proven technologies, integrated expertise and strategic partnerships will be critical to expanding geothermal power as demand for reliable, always-on electricity continues to grow.
