Geothermal Isn't Expensive: The Reservoir Always Has the Final Say Somewhere beneath a volcanic ridge, a drill bit is turning through rock that has not moved in two million years. It costs money every second it turns. And nobody on the surface — not the engineer, not the financier, not the minister who announced the megawatts — knows yet whether that well will produce steam or silence. That single moment explains almost everything people get wrong about geothermal energy. Geothermal is routinely described as expensive, slow, capital-hungry and haunted by drilling risk. Investors are reminded that tens of millions can disappear underground before a single megawatt reaches a grid. All of that is true. But it is not the whole truth. The uncomfortable question the industry keeps avoiding is this: is geothermal expensive, or is the way we develop geothermal making it expensive? Those are two completely different problems. One is geology. The other is us. Why Geothermal Refuses to Be...
When you think of Singapore, what comes to mind? Skyscrapers. Tech. Food. Green innovation. But now, add one more surprising trait to the list: geothermal powerhouse.
By: Robert Buluma
That’s right beneath the city-state’s highly urbanized northern district lies a blazing opportunity that could redefine Singapore’s energy story.
In a recent announcement that’s set the clean energy world abuzz, scientists from NTU Singapore and TUMCREATE revealed astonishing findings from a joint geothermal drilling project. At just 1.76 km underground in Sembawang, temperatures have soared to a jaw-dropping 122°C—a record-breaker for the region, and far higher than the 70°C earlier recorded at a shallower depth in Admiralty.
This isn't just hot news. It’s a revolutionary discovery that could reshape how one of the world's most densely populated nations powers its future.
🌋 A Hidden Furnace Below the Urban Jungle
This project—backed by Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Energy Market Authority (EMA)—confirms that even without being on a volcanic belt, Singapore’s northern crust is alive with geothermal energy. Rock core analyses indicate that the heat flow in Sembawang is at least double the global continental average. How’s that for unexpected?
Led by Prof. Alessandro Romagnoli from NTU’s Energy Research Institute (ERI@N) and Dr Tobias Massier of TUMCREATE, this work sets a new benchmark for geothermal studies across Southeast Asia. If the current heat gradient holds steady, temperatures could climb to 230°C at 5 km—unlocking serious possibilities for both electricity generation and district cooling.
🚀 Tech to Tap the Heat: Closed-Loop Innovation
But wait—how can Singapore, a nation with no geysers or steam-filled vents, even harness this subterranean heat?
Enter cutting-edge technology.
At a public symposium titled “Geothermal energy is just beneath our feet, how do we unlock it?”, global experts and innovators presented two major contenders:
Eavor, a Canadian start-up backed by Temasek, offers a closed-loop geothermal system called Eavor-Loop, part of the Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS) family. It circulates fluid through deep, hot rock layers without fracking or emissions.
GreenTherma, a Norwegian start-up, showcased their modular AGS, designed to provide heating and cooling without generating electricity—a great fit for district systems or data centers.
Unlike traditional geothermal energy—which relies on underground hot springs or steam reservoirs—these new-generation systems tap hot dry rocks, making them ideal for places like Singapore.
💰 Cheaper Power, Cleaner Future
It’s not just theory. The team ran rigorous simulations of AGS and Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) for two key uses:
- Electricity generation, and
- Chilled water production for Singapore’s district cooling networks.
Here’s what they found:
- AGS systems could rival hydrogen gas-fired plants in electricity cost, and deliver 28% lower chilled water costs.
- EGS could slash electricity costs by 38%, and chilled water by 39%.
- Both systems could cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90%.
Let that sink in—cleaner, cheaper energy, tucked right beneath our feet.
🌏 Singapore: A Hotspot for Global Geothermal Leadership?
This isn’t just a local breakthrough. Singapore's geothermal push could turn the nation into a regional thought leader. NTU is already collaborating with Indonesia, a geothermal-rich archipelago, to share knowledge and accelerate geothermal innovation across Southeast Asia.
With its deep R&D expertise, policy alignment, and tech partnerships, Singapore is uniquely positioned to turn its rocky heat into real power—both domestically and diplomatically.
🧭 What Comes Next?
As Surbana Jurong and other partners extend geothermal feasibility studies, the big questions now are:
- How far does the geothermal reservoir extend?
- How long will it remain viable?
- Which technologies will Singapore ultimately deploy?
The answers could unlock a seismic shift in how island nations tackle energy security, emissions, and urban sustainability.
One thing’s for sure—Sembawang just became Singapore’s hottest neighborhood, literally and figuratively.
💡 Final Thought
Geothermal in Singapore is no longer a pipedream. It’s a blazing reality waiting to be tapped. With science, tech, and policy aligning, we may be witnessing the birth of a new clean energy era in the tropics.
Singapore isn’t just smart. It’s heating up—in the best possible way.
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Source: Singapore.gov
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