{
  "id": 16347101,
  "title": "Can Undersea Volcanoes Power Cities? A Seattle Startup Just Took the First Step",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/can-undersea-volcanoes-power-cities-a-seattle-startup-just-took-the",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-24T17:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "OilPrice",
    "slug": "oilprice",
    "url": "https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Can-Undersea-Volcanoes-Power-Cities-A-Seattle-Startup-Just-Took-the-First-Step.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Seattle-based energy startup Endurance Energy made history by successfully generating net-positive energy from an underwater geothermal plant, marking a major milestone for next-gen clean energy technology. The company successfully completed a full operations cycle, from drilling to electricity generation, in a world-first demonstration. This achievement, announced on Sept. 27, showcases the potential for round-the-clock clean energy in cities along the U.S. northwest coast and could serve as a crucial proof of concept for other regions, particularly the 14 countries situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire. The demonstration, although producing less than 10 seconds of positive energy, has significant implications, as it confirmed the feasibility of building and operating geothermal plants at depth. The project also demonstrated the ability to remotely control the system from an offshore location, with Seattle operators able to start and stop equipment, monitor temperatures and pressures, and collect data without being underwater. Underwater geothermal plants offer benefits such as natural cooling and pressure systems, allowing for compact designs. However, they also present challenges, such as high upfront costs, which could be prohibitive compared to on-land models. The next milestone for Endurance Energy is to build a 2-megawatt commercial generator in Tonga, a test of their more productive yet compact generator systems. Despite the challenges, geothermal energy holds promise as a clean, bipartisan-supported energy source, with the U.S. Department of Energy estimating that enhanced geothermal projects could provide 90 gigawatts of clean energy in the country by 2050, enough to power around 65 million homes.",
  "summary": "A geothermal startup aiming to source energy directly from undersea volcanoes just hit a major milestone that could bring round-the-clock clean energy to cities on the northwest coast of the United States and serve as a critical proof of concept for other regions, with particular relevance for the other 14 countries situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Seattle-based energy startup Endurance…",
  "key_points": [
    "Seattle startup Endurance Energy achieved net-positive energy from underwater geothermal plant.",
    "Demonstration confirmed feasibility of deep-sea geothermal plants for cities.",
    "Next step is building 2-megawatt commercial generator in Tonga."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}