Can Geothermal Power America’s Green Future?

Ormat and SLB unite to scale geothermal energy into a round-the-clock clean power source

4 Nov 2025

A new partnership is turning up the heat on America’s clean energy ambitions. Ormat Technologies and SLB have joined forces to tap one of the planet’s most reliable yet underused energy sources: enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS.

Announced in late October, the collaboration pairs Ormat’s decades of geothermal know-how with SLB’s deep expertise in subsurface engineering. Together, they’re betting that EGS can deliver what wind and solar cannot, renewable energy that never takes a break.

Unlike traditional geothermal plants, which rely on rare underground reservoirs of hot water, EGS uses advanced drilling to draw heat from dry rock far below the surface. The result could make geothermal power possible in places once thought off-limits, expanding its reach across much of the country.

“The goal is to make geothermal scalable,” said Gavin Rennick, SLB’s New Energy president. “By combining our technologies, we can expand access and help build a more resilient power system.” The partnership could also lower costs and shorten project timelines, giving geothermal a stronger foothold in the renewable market.

There are still hurdles. Drilling remains expensive, and some communities worry about induced seismic activity. But momentum is growing. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates advanced geothermal could provide up to 60 gigawatts of firm, clean capacity by 2050, a leap that would transform the sector’s role in the nation’s energy mix.

As Ormat and SLB move from pilot projects to full-scale deployment, the earth’s hidden heat could soon emerge as a steady force in America’s clean energy future.