Fervo Energy has started feeding electricity from its Cape Station plant in Beaver County, Utah, into the grid. The first of three 33 MW GeoBlocks is operating, and the company expects the remaining 66 MW to come online by New Year. The project counts Google as a backer, extending a relationship that began around 2008 when the search giant first explored geothermal power.
The plant relies on enhanced geothermal systems: paired wells drilled about 8,000 feet deep, with rock fractured to let water pass between them and heat up to 190 degrees Celsius. This is a large step beyond Fervo's 2023 Project Red, which generated just 3.5 MW. Cape Station has the potential to exceed 4 GW, and Fervo is working toward 900 MW of contracted capacity, with 500 MW planned by 2028.
Other tech companies are also investing. Google has a 150 MW deal with Ormat Technologies and NV Energy, while Meta partnered with Sage Geosystems for up to 150 MW. Yet challenges remain: analysis from Rhodium Group, cited in The Register, estimates geothermal could meet up to 64 percent of datacenter demand in the coming years, but buyers might pay a 20 percent premium compared with conventional power.