Colorado geothermal project secures $9M DOE grant

A project that will advance geothermal technology has secured a $9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The project, Geothermal Limitless Approach to Drilling Efficiencies, or GLADE, includes drilling of two high-temperature wells in the Denver-Julesburg Basin.

Occidental Petroleum will lead the project, along with partners that include the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Colorado School of Mines. The team will drill the wells using existing and novel drilling technologies, according to a DOE press release. The team plans to drill to deeper and hotter depths than most existing geothermal, and at a faster rate.

The DOE also provided $6.2 million in funding for another geothermal project in California.

“There is incredible, untapped potential to use the heat beneath our feet to meet our energy demands with a renewable resource that can be found throughout the U.S.,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in a prepared statement. “By lowering the cost of drilling, we can make it easier to expand geothermal energy and help the country transition to a clean energy future while also creating good-paying jobs nationwide.” 

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