Utah FORGE in the News

Utah geothermal project hits a milestone, pumping water through deep granite

Utah FORGE scientists connect two deep wells that could one day generate a continuous flow of hot water to produce power.

Originally published by

The Salt Lake Tribune
on July 7, 2023.
| Tim Fitzpatrick.

Explore External News Articles

2025

Utah’s energy future

@theU by David Pace
At a recent panel discussion at the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy’s annual summit at the University of Utah, energy experts gathered to discuss the future of alternative energy in Utah.

The race is on to capture the ‘heat beneath your feet’

The Deseret News by Amy Joi O’Donoghue
Utah FORGE is driving national momentum for geothermal energy, as record land lease sales and new funding highlight growing interest in clean, 24/7 power from enhanced geothermal systems.

Why FORGE Works

IFP by Tom Ough
The Department of Energy’s FORGE project is jump-starting geothermal energy by tackling technical and financial barriers that private investors avoided. Based in Utah, the lab has cut drilling costs and sped up development, enabling startups like Fervo to thrive. Its open-access research model is now seen as a blueprint for how government can unlock clean energy innovation.

New study presents updated geothermal drilling cost curves

ThinkGeoEnergy by Carlo Cariaga
A study presented by Dayo Akindipe and Erik Witter from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at the 50th Stanford Geothermal Workshop held in February 2025 provides an updated drilling cost curve based on recently reported drilling results by Utah FORGE, Fervo Energy, and Geysers Power Company.

Geothermal Power Is a Climate Moon Shot Beneath Our Feet

The New Yorker by Brent Crane
Beneath Utah’s volcanic crust, scientists are drilling deep to tap Earth’s heat as a clean, constant energy source. At Utah FORGE, a cutting-edge geothermal project, success could mean limitless, carbon-free power—if they can solve the extreme engineering challenges in time.

Third Energy Innovation Signaling A Golden Age: Enhanced Geothermal

Forbes by Ian Dexter Palmer, Ph.D.
The U.S. Department of energy (DOE) supported EGS financially and with a field experiment in Utah called Project FORGE. Drilling speeds have improved by 500 percent in the past three years as this research project seeks to raise commercial viability. The initial $220 million funding has been boosted by another $80 million from DOE through 2028.

Utah Wants Geothermal Energy. What the Heck Is It?

City Cast Salt Lake Podcast
Utah lawmakers have continued to prop up coal in our state, but now Gov. Spencer Cox is eyeing another energy option: geothermal. So … what the heck is it? And can it cause earthquakes?? Dr. Joseph Moore, principal researcher at Utah FORGE (https://utahforge.com/) , joins host Ali Vallarta to demystify this renewable resource.

2024

Geothermal: The Promising, Ancient Giant In Infancy

Forbes by Pat Sapinsley
Geothermal energy is poised for massive growth, with advanced drilling tech—much of it tested at Utah FORGE—cutting costs and boosting efficiency. Enhanced geothermal systems could supply 24/7 clean power across the U.S., making it a key player in the nation’s energy future.

The Future of Geothermal Power in Utah

KSL, Science & Technology, by Mike Anderson
Steam rising near Milford could become a more common sight if Utah expands geothermal power. Technology tested at Utah FORGE may help make it more affordable and accessible.

2024 Innovation Awards: Utah’s modern-day pioneers

Utah Business Magazine, by Savannah Beth Withers Taylor
The 2024 Innovation Awards honor Utah companies and innovators tackling complex problems with impactful solutions, selected by local business and academic leaders.

We’re Going Underground: New Advent for Geothermal Drilling

Cleantech Group, by Selene Law
Geothermal drilling saw major breakthroughs in 2024, with Fervo Energy cutting drill times by 70% in Utah and Utah FORGE achieving similar gains. These advances, along with new tools and growing demand for low- and high-temp geothermal, are helping drive down costs and expand clean energy access.

Utah FORGE Completes Stimulation, Circulation Tests

AAPG Explorer, by Christopher Katis
The Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy at the University of Utah has successfully stimulated wells 16A(78)-32 (injection) and 16B(78)-32 (production).

U of U unveils successful generation of emission-free electricity

ABC4 Utah
The University of Utah successfully generated emissions-free electricity using geothermal wells, heating water deep underground to over 282°F. Backed by $200 million from the Department of Energy, the breakthrough proves geothermal can be a stable, cost-effective energy source.

Energy policy, concerns among Utah voters

ABC4, by Brien McElhatten
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm discusses new federal investments in Utah’s power grid and clean energy transition, while the Utah Foundation’s Chris Collard highlights top voter concerns—led by cost of living and government dysfunction.

Delving Deeper: New Optimism for Enhanced Geothermal Systems

Power, by Sonal Patel
Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) have long held promise. New developments suggest dramatic progress may be on the horizon. Can innovation feasibly overcome technical and economic hurdles that have consistently challenged EGS?

2023

Interview – The impact of GeothermEx on the geothermal industry in the last 50 years

ThinkGeoEnergy, by Carlo Cariaga
GeothermEx™, SLB’s geothermal consulting arm, celebrates 50 years of combining deep industry experience with innovation. In an interview, president Ann Robertson-Tait discusses the company’s history, SLB’s new technologies, and how oil and gas expertise can help advance geothermal energy.

How the end of hog farming can kill a way of life in rural Utah

Deseret News, by Amy Joi O’Donoghue
With Smithfield Foods ending contracts with local hog farms, Beaver County faces major economic upheaval. Amid the uncertainty, Utah FORGE in Milford offers hope—advancing clean energy research and potentially helping to fill the gap left by the pork industry.

Assessing geothermal energy: How could a new project impact Southwest Utah?

St George News by Alysha Lundgren
The Bureau of Land Management approved the Rodatherm Geothermal Test Bed project in September. The project’s site is roughly 6 miles east of the Mineral Mountains and approximately 12 miles north of Milford, Landon Newell told Cedar City News. Newell works as a staff attorney with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Utah’s Energy Future

PBS Utah, Utah Insight
The shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy is well underway throughout the world, but what does that mean for Utah? We explore the ways our state can decrease pollution while maintaining affordability and reliability in our electric grid. Plus, how we can protect the economies of Utah communities with long histories of fossil fuel production.

Geothermal energy at the U: Past, present and future

@TheU by Sarah Buening
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm visited the U in early February and praised the geothermal infrastructure it has established to date, calling geothermal the “holy grail of clean energy.”

Heat from Beneath

U Magazine | News From The U
Energy Secretary Granholm visited the U to spotlight Utah FORGE and announced $74M for new geothermal projects advancing clean, reliable power.

Utah FORGE spuds geothermal production well

Drilling Contractor
The Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) has begun drilling its second highly deviated deep geothermal well.

Time To See if Fracturing for Steam Pays Off

Journal of Petroleum Technology by Stephen Rassenfoss
Two US test sites have fractured hot, dry rock with plans to create a network of fractures for water heating. They will soon find out if the fractures worked as expected.

SPE Jeotermal Datathon 2023 için kayıtlar başladı

Jeotermal Haberler by Merve Uytun
SPE Jeotermal Datathon 2023, katılımcıları; gerçek dünya verilerine dayalı bir tasarım problemini çözmeye yardımcı olmak için veri bilimi ve yapay öğrenme kullanmaya davet ediyor.

Registration open for SPE Geothermal Datathon 2023

Think GeoEnergy by Carlo Cariaga
The SPE Geothermal Datathon 2023 challenges participants to use data science and machine learning to help solve a design problem based on real-world data.

Granholm Touts Geothermal, Announces $74M Funding in Utah

The Well News by Dan McCue
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited Utah on Wednesday to tout the Biden administration’s support of geothermal energy and announce up to $74 million in new funding to help ramp up the growth of the sector.

What did Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm see on her Utah tour?

KSL by Amy Joi O’Donoghue
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was in Salt Lake City for a tour Wednesday that included a look at a unique heat pump system that gets its energy from the ground, saving energy costs of $70,000 a year via 151 wells that go 350 feet underground.

Utah FORGE publishes Wiki dashboard for open-access data

Think GeoEnergy by Carlo Cariaga
The Utah FORGE project has published a Wiki dashboard to provide access to the project’s technical data including geology, geochemistry, well data, drilling data, and GIS maps.

2022

Witness The Other Side Of Geothermal Energy In “The Volcano”

CleanTechnica, by Tina Casey
The DOE announced $15M for geothermal research as interest in clean energy grows. Projects like Utah FORGE show geothermal’s potential, while The Volcano reminds us of nature’s power and the need for climate resilience.

On the Cusp

Energies Media by Fran Kennedy-Ellis, Dr. Silviu Livescu and Jay Egg
The time is right and ripe for geothermal energy, an abundant and renewable resource as plentiful as the earth under our feet.

Murdoch Leading New Project to Improve Enhanced Geothermal Energy

Clemson by Briana Peele
A team of researchers led by EEES Professor Larry Murdoch was recently awarded $4M by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for a project entitled A Strain Sensing Array to Characterize Deformation at the FORGE Site.

UTAH F.O.R.G.E.

The University of Utah College of Science News by Tim Fitzpatrick
What if we could drill down into the rock and, in essence, create our own hot spring? That is the idea behind “enhanced geothermal systems,” and the most promising such effort in the world is happening in Beaver County.

Energy research institute celebrates 50th anniversary

@TheU by Energy & Geoscience Institute
The Energy & Geoscience Institute provides research assistance for the energy industry and pioneers new technologies to aid the transition away from carbon-based fuels.

Updates from the Utah FORGE project

@TheU by Paul Gabrielsen
The U’s project is progressing toward developing new geothermal technology that could make the renewable energy of the Earth’s interior more accessible.

Webinar – Utah FORGE Status and Lookahead

Think GeoEnergy by Alexander Richter
Join this webinar with Prof. John McLennan of the University of Utah, Co-PI and the Technical Lead for Resource Management at the Utah FORGE project to get an update on this groundbreaking project for the geothermal world.

U of U/INL announce research partnership

The University of Utah Engineering
The University of Utah and Idaho National Laboratory have announced the signing of a formal agreement that allows both organizations to collaborate on research and development projects aimed at advancing the nation’s energy and security technology.

Zero-emission energy: Not all wind and solar

MarketScreener
Niche renewable energy sources, like geothermal and wave, have a key role to play in the transition to net-zero, not least when it comes to stability of supply.

2021

Did you know? Some neat facts about Beaver County

Ramblers
Beaver County is Utah’s leader in green energy projects, with the Utah Forge Project leading the way. This project seeks to use the first-of-its-kind technology to tap renewable, geothermal energy deep under the ground.

News From Around Our 50 States: Utah

USA Today
Just outside this town of about 1,400 people in southwest Utah, researchers behind a major energy project are hoping to tap into a limitless supply of clean, reliable power.

Heat Beneath Our Feet

University of Utah Magazine
A new well is testing ways to harness unlimited energy

Utah FORGE Spuds New EGS Well

The Journal of Petroleum Technology by Judy Feder
Utah FORGE spudded well 78B-32 on 28 June. The well is located approximately 450 ft south of well 16A(78)-32, the project’s first deep, highly deviated well, which was completed in January 2021.

Explorer Live!

AAPG The Explorer
Principal investigator Joseph Moore tells Sarah Barnes about the historic, granite-piercing advances involving geothermal research and development at Utah’s FORGE project – and the resulting new global potential.

Geothermal Energy Is Having A Magic Moment, This Time For Real

CleanTechnica by Tina Casey
The geothermal energy industry has never realized its true potential in the US, despite the seemingly magical promise of nonstop, 24/7 renewable energy sitting just below the surface of the Earth. However, it seems like things are finally starting to gel. No, for real!

Geothermal energy projects in the US receive $46m boost

Energy Live News by Priyanka Shrestha
Enhanced geothermal systems are different from conventional geothermal resources that occur naturally in the US and are geographically limited due to the need for underground heat and fluids.

DOE Awarding up to $46MM for Geothermal Projects

RigZone by Andreas Exarheas
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that its Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) Initiative at the University of Utah has selected 17 projects to receive up to $46 million in funding.

Department of Energy awards $46M to 17 domestic geothermal initiative projects

Daily Energy Insider by Chris Galford
The U.S. Department of Energy is pushing for further research into whether geothermal systems could provide further carbon-free energy sources, offering up to $46 million to 17 projects through its Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE).

Utah FORGE Chooses 17 project selectees to begin negotiations

@TheU by Christopher Katis
The Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) at the University of Utah is pleased to announce it has chosen 17 project selectee applications for negotiations for the FORGE Solicitation 2020-1. The selectees could receive a combined total of up to $46 million over the next three years.

DOE Awards $46 Million for Geothermal Projects

Power Magazine by Darrell Proctor
A federal government geothermal program based at the University of Utah has chosen 17 projects that will receive up to $46 million from the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE).

Utah FORGE Drills First Deviated Deep Well

Journal of Petroleum Technology
Utah FORGE has completed the first highly deviated, deep geothermal well to target depth and at planned trajectory, 60 days ahead of schedule.

Utah FORGE Completes First Well

Beaver County Journal by Christopher Katis
The Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy, or Utah FORGE, has successfully completed its first highly deviated deep well.

FORGEing a new partnership

@TheU by Christopher Katis
The new project includes hands-on and virtual heat conduction experiments.

2020

Does Geothermal Energy Have A Future Under The Biden Administration?

Forbes by Ariel Cohen
The Biden Administration – due to take office January 20th, 2021 – is expected to turn political rhetoric into political action when it comes to the nation’s resource use and energy management. Central to this will be decarbonizing the US electricity sector through renewable power sources as part of the much-touted green energy transition.

Episode 83 | Future Furnaces | FORGE (DOE)

Energy Cast
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) could unlock vast clean energy potential. Lauren Boyd of the DOE highlights Utah FORGE, a key research site in Milford, Utah, working to make EGS scalable.

U.S. DOE $25m funding opportunity for advances to EGS geothermal technology

Think GeoEnergy by Alexander Richter
Under a Wells of Opportunity (WOO) $25 million funding opportunity, the U.S. DOE aims to supports research and development (R&D) complementing DOE’s Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) initiative and its path to unlock the full potential of geothermal power.

USA: 31% Boost for Budget for Geothermal Technologies

Global Geothermal News | Geothermal Resources Council
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funds a wide variety of R&D programs as well as initiatives to promote energy efficiency in homes, buildings, and industry.

Integrating Input to Forge Ahead in Geothermal Research

Eos by R. Rozansky and A. McKittrick
A road map for a major geothermal energy development initiative determines proposed priorities and goals by integrating input from stakeholders, data, and technological assessments.

2019

Geothermal funding of $69m announced in new U.S. budget bill

Think GeoEnergy by Alexander Richter
The U.S. legislative has passed bi-partisan budget bill that includes $69 million in geothermal funding for Enhanced Geothermal Systems, with $20 million for the FORGE project and $10 million for a demonstration heat project.

Researcher: Geothermal taking off as power

The Daily Sentinel by Joe Vaccarelli
Geothermal power is a small, but growing movement in the energy sector, and work coming out of central Utah could play a big role in just how big it becomes.

2018

Grant to aid in geothermal research in rural Utah

KSL by Jasen Lee, Deseret News
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development approved a $365,000 grant in conjunction with the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy. The project will create 23 new jobs with an average full-time wage of $94,000 per year and a capital investment of more than $100 million, according to Rob Simmons, deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Development.

GOED Approves Economic Opportunity Grant for FORGE

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) has approved an Industrial Assistance Account. A post-performance Economic Opportunity Grant for the amount of $365,000 for the Frontier Observatory for Research in the Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE). The project will create 23 new jobs with an average full-time wage of $94,000 per year. And a capital investment of more than $100 million.