Generating power that is clean, reliable and affordable, is the energy trilemma of our time.
Fervo Energy has met the challenge with new geothermal technology that brings 24/7 carbon-free energy, one step closer. Their ‘Project Red’ pilot successfully tested a 3.5-MW enhanced geothermal system (EGS) that is now powering the local energy grid serving Google’s data centres in Nevada.
Geothermal innovation is key in our journey to net zero with technology crossover crucial between industries. While most clean electricity demand is met by wind and solar innovation their dependency on environmental conditions has limitations.
Geothermal, is a well-established ‘always on’ renewable energy, using subsurface hot water to produce electricity. And as demand for 24/7 clean energy increases, next-generation geothermal technologies are uniquely positioned to meet that need.
“Alongside wind and solar power, Enhanced Geothermal Systems, or EGS’s, have a major role to play in how renewable energy technologies can contribute to the future of our global electric grids,” says Steve Fercho, Exploration Geoscience Lead at Fervo Energy.
191°C
Temperature reached by Project Red
20%
Amount of US power needs that could be supplied by geothermal
2021
Fervo and Google sign world first agreement to develop next-gen geothermal
Fervo Energy leverages innovation in geoscience to develop and commercially test EGS technologies to help accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. The company’s Project Red is unique for the Energy industry, with Fercho and the Fervo team successfully drilling horizontal well pair through a combination of metasedimentary and granitic rocks to accomplish commercial geothermal production.
Co-developed by Fervo and Google under a partnership created in 2021, Project Red is, ‘the world’s first corporate agreement to develop an enhanced geothermal power project.’ And has captured world attention with its success in contributing clean energy to the local energy grid serving Google’s around-the-clock data centres in Nevada.
“It’s a big deal that Google has put trust in our technology and we’re excited to see our full-scale commercial EGS pilot project gain recognition in the Energy industry for its innovative horizontal doublet well system,” says Fercho.
”Modelling in Leapfrog helps us understand how these rocks are oriented and how they are affecting our drilling.
says Fercho.
Fervo Energy’s Project Red in Nevada is the first commercial EGS project with fully horizontal wells and likely the hottest ever drilled (Image: Fervo Energy).
While geothermal resources exist naturally underground, harvesting them cost-effectively has proven a challenge, due to variability in rock temperature and permeability. However, applying standard practices and technologies from the oil and gas industry (such as horizontal drilling and multistage zonal isolation stimulation) to EGS reservoirs at depths of 3 to 10 kilometres has the potential to change that.
Project Red, is a nearfield EGS located in the Blue Mountain geothermal field in northern Nevada, designed to deliver an uplift in high-temperature geothermal flow rates and increase power capacity to the local grid.
The system is comprised of an injection and production well pair drilled 8,000 feet below the surface and extending horizontally to access geothermal heat. A second intersecting horizontal well pumps cold water through fractures in hot rocks to harness their heat, generate steam, and produce carbon-free electricity.
“Our success with Project Red demonstrates that no major technical barriers exist to deploying horizontal EGS systems up to temperatures of 400˚F, in similar metasedimentary or igneous rock,” says Fercho.
Seequent’s digital workflows enable 3D models of complex subsurface environments, to help assess stimulated rock volumes and target wells (Image: Fercho).
Cutting edge EGS technologies
With Project Red Fervo has achieved a lot of firsts: The first commercial EGS project, the first known geothermal project that uses fully horizontal wells, and likely the hottest horizontal wells ever drilled.
“Our number one goal for Project Red was to prove that using horizontal drilling and multistage stimulation treatment technology is viable for geothermal. It’s hugely validating to show that impermeable rock, previously considered too hard, too deep, and too hot for tech to handle, can be successfully drilled,” says Fercho.
”Leapfrog is the easiest, fastest, and most intuitive 3D ground modelling software out there enabling us to integrate all different types of geothermal well data.
says Fercho.
Precision drilling to target wells
Seequent’s innovative subsurface software supports the production of more than half the world’s geothermal power with 3D modelling and collaboration tools to help understand the underground.
“Leapfrog is the easiest, fastest, and most intuitive 3D ground modelling software out there enabling us to integrate all different types of geothermal well data. It’s our most important tool to characterise the subsurface to determine the best location of the wells before we drill. And, as we drill, we can update our models for continuous planning,” says Fercho.
“As an example, we could drop a new survey line an extra 1,000 feet and bring up a visualisation of our data, in a day,” he says.
Modelling the complex subsurface environment in 3D is important because it brings insights into the variables within the target formation which impacts drilling.
“There’s a major hardness difference between the rocks that make up the target reservoir at Project Red. Modelling in Leapfrog helps us understand how these rocks are oriented and how they are affecting our drilling,” says Fercho.
Well data shows the basement stepping down to the northwest with each fault block dipping towards the range front (Image: Fercho).
A clear innovation pathway
The Fervo team use Oasis montaj for their geophysical modelling because it seamlessly integrates with Leapfrog Energy. And use Seequent Central to visualise, track and manage their large geological datasets from a centralised, auditable environment.
“Leapfrog Energy and Oasis montaj can intuitively talk to each other via Central and has allowed us to seamlessly connect multiple individuals with essential communication and collaboration across five offices spanning the US and many different time zones,” says Fercho.
”Central allows our teams to directly access each other’s current geoscience interpretation and easily coordinate a holistic 3D model that can be iteratively refined whenever new data is introduced,
says Fercho.
Numerical reservoir simulation models calibrated with the project’s field data suggest a clear innovation pathway to be able to increase power capacity up to 8 MW of electric power per production well.
“The scale of opportunity to unlock geothermal’s growth as a clean, consistent, renewable power source is huge. We appreciate that Seequent listens, takes on board our feedback and is consistently on the right path for software improvements and updates,” says Fercho.
The horizontal well pair extends lateral lengths of 3,250 feet reaching maximum temperatures of 376F (191C) (Image: Fercho).
Forging our geothermal future
Studies show there is enough subsurface heat around the world to meet a significant portion of global energy demand. With Fervo’s advancements in drilling and subsurface analytics – showing geothermal to be reliable, cost competitive, and globally scalable – paving the way for commercial geothermal energy technology.
The success of Project Red follows Fervo’s continued focus on enabling rapid advancement in geothermal deployment. From 2018, Seequent has collaborated with the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) project designed to research and test new tools and technology.
With Fervo utilising the innovative 3D models created with Seequent software to support their work at Cape Station.
In September 2023, the company broke ground on a next-generation geothermal energy project, the 400-MW Cape Station, next to FORGE in Utah, expected to begin delivering power to the grid in 2026 and reach full-scale around-the-clock production in 2028.
And, in February 2024, Fervo announced $244 million in new funding – finance to unlock their next phase of growth; ‘deploying proven geothermal technology at scale to help deliver commercially viable 24/7 carbon-free energy.’
”We can’t wait to see how breakthroughs in research and technologies can continue to position geothermal at the heart of helping to deliver on global clean energy production,
says Fercho.