{
  "id": 9819844,
  "title": "Google-backed energy outfit brings 33 MW of 4 GW geothermal potential online in Utah",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/google-backed-energy-outfit-brings-33-mw-of-4-gw-geothermal-potential",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-25T18:02:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Register",
    "slug": "the-register",
    "url": "https://www.theregister.com/systems/2026/09/25/google-backed-energy-outfit-brings-33-mw-of-4-gw-geothermal-potential-online-in-utah/5299243"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Google-backed energy firm Fervo Energy has successfully brought 33 MW of geothermal capacity online in Utah, marking a significant milestone in the company's pursuit of renewable energy. The Cape Station power plant, situated in Beaver County, Utah, has started supplying electricity to the grid, with completion anticipated by the following week. This is the first of three 33 MW GeoBlocks that Fervo plans to deploy, with an additional 66 MW expected to come online by the New Year.\n\nWith a potential to eventually scale to over four gigawatts of capacity, the Cape Station is poised to become a major player in geothermal energy production. Currently, the company is focusing on fulfilling 900 MW of contracted capacity. To achieve this feat, Fervo has built upon years of research and development into Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technologies, which harness the Earth's heat to generate steam and power turbines.\n\nThe challenge lies in accessing the deep underground reservoirs of heat, which Fervo overcame by employing technologies originally developed by the oil and gas industry. By drilling two parallel wells around 8,000 feet below the surface and fracturing the rock to allow water to pass between them, the company was able to heat the water to 190 degrees Celsius.\n\nIn 2023, Fervo demonstrated the technology at its Project Red site, which generated a modest 3.5 MW of power. However, the Cape Station represents an entirely different scale of operation, with plans to reach half a gigawatt capacity by 2028.\n\nGoogle, a long-time advocate of geothermal power generation, stands to benefit significantly from Fervo's Cape Station. The company has been an early proponent of geothermal power since at least 2008 and has also entered into agreements with Ormat Technologies for geothermal power supply. Earlier this year, Google announced a 150 MW deal with Ormat and Nevada’s NV Energy to fuel its datacenter expansion.\n\nMeta, formerly known as Facebook, has also been investing in geothermal technology, collaborating with Sage Geosystems to deliver up to 150 MW of power. While geothermal energy offers promising potential, it still faces challenges as highlighted by Rhodium last year. Although the technology could potentially meet up to 64 percent of datacenter demand by the end of the decade, datacenters may face a 20 percent premium for this renewable energy source.",
  "summary": "Fervo Energy aims to have 100 MW online by New Year and half a gigawatt by 2028",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Register Science",
        "title": "Google-backed energy outfit brings 33 MW of 4 GW geothermal potential online in Utah",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/google-backed-energy-outfit-brings-33-mw-of-4-gw-geothermal-potential-9824205",
        "published": "2026-09-25T18:02:25.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}