Global Geothermal Power: Policies, Funding, Wells, Strengths, Opportunities and Barriers Geothermal is moving into a broader investment cycle. In 2026, the story is no longer limited to volcanic power plants in a few classic markets; it now includes enhanced geothermal systems, closed-loop designs, district heating, superhot rock, lithium from brines and industrial heat. Across the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Iceland, France and Italy, the sector is being shaped by a simple question: who is de-risking the first wells, and who is ready to finance the next ones? United States: the next-generation testbed The United States has the broadest geothermal innovation ecosystem in this group, with a mature conventional base in the West and a fast-growing next-generation pipeline. The main policy signal in 2026 is the Department of Energy’s US$171.5 million funding opportunity for next-generation geothermal field-scale tests, exploration...
Cornish Lithium awards contract for Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project to Halliburton
Cornish Lithium has awarded Halliburton the contract to provide integrated well services for its Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project in Cornwall.
This project aims to confirm the site’s potential for the commercial production of lithium. Work will begin with the drilling of two wells to establish the lithium resource potential of geothermal waters – also known as brine – that circulate deep underground.
Under the contract, Halliburton will provide an integrated execution approach, encompassing subsurface modelling and well engineering, together with equipment and services for the drilling and testing of two appraisal wells. This work will help to estimate the amount of lithium contained within the geothermal system of the Cornubian Batholith – the large body of granite formed around 280 million years ago that lies beneath much of Cornwall and Devon.Cornish Lithium Awards Halliburton Contract for Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project
Cornish Lithium has awarded Halliburton a contract to provide integrated well services for the Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The contract represents an important step in the company’s plans to assess whether lithium can be commercially produced from geothermal brines circulating deep beneath the region.
The initial work will focus on drilling and testing two appraisal wells. These wells are intended to provide detailed information about the geothermal resource, including the concentration of lithium in the underground brine, the volume of fluid available and the geological conditions that could support future production.
Halliburton will provide an integrated technical solution covering subsurface modelling, well engineering, drilling equipment and well-testing services. The results will help Cornish Lithium estimate the amount of lithium contained within the geothermal system associated with the Cornubian Batholith, a large granite formation beneath much of Cornwall and Devon.
The project combines geothermal energy development with domestic lithium production. If the resource proves commercially viable, it could contribute to the United Kingdom’s critical-minerals strategy while supporting the growth of a lower-carbon battery-materials supply chain.
## Halliburton Contract Supports Appraisal Work
Under the agreement, Halliburton will deliver an integrated execution approach for the Cross Lanes project. Its scope will include subsurface modelling and well engineering, as well as equipment and services required to drill and test two appraisal wells.
An appraisal well is drilled to assess the commercial potential of a known or suspected resource. Unlike an exploration well, which primarily seeks to establish whether a resource exists, an appraisal well provides more detailed information about the size, quality and production characteristics of that resource.
For the Cross Lanes project, the appraisal wells will be used to investigate lithium-bearing geothermal brines. The wells will provide data about the underground reservoir and help determine whether the geothermal fluid can be produced and processed economically.
Halliburton’s involvement brings experience in complex well construction and subsurface evaluation. The company’s integrated approach is intended to coordinate geological interpretation, well design, drilling operations and testing within a single project framework.
This coordination can be particularly valuable in geothermal lithium projects because the wells must fulfil two objectives. They need to reach and test the geothermal reservoir, while also providing reliable samples and production data for lithium-resource evaluation.
## Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project
The Cross Lanes project is being developed by Cornish Lithium in Cornwall. Its primary objective is to confirm the site’s potential for commercial lithium production from deep geothermal waters, also known as brines.
Geothermal brine is hot underground water that has circulated through rocks at depth. During this process, the water may dissolve minerals from the surrounding geological formations. In certain locations, the brine can contain commercially useful concentrations of lithium and other dissolved elements.
The project’s proposed model involves accessing the deep geothermal system through wells. The brine could potentially be brought to the surface, processed to recover lithium and then managed through a reinjection or fluid-recirculation system, depending on the final project design and regulatory approvals.
The same geothermal system may also contain usable heat. This creates the possibility of combining lithium extraction with geothermal energy production. Such an integrated model could improve resource efficiency by recovering both a critical mineral and renewable thermal energy from the same underground fluid system.
The success of the project will depend on the quality and quantity of the lithium resource, the temperature and flow rate of the brine, the effectiveness of the extraction technology and the overall cost of developing the facility.
## Two Appraisal Wells Will Be Drilled
The first phase of the contract will involve drilling two appraisal wells. These wells are expected to provide the geological, hydraulic and chemical data needed to evaluate the Cross Lanes geothermal system.
Well construction typically involves several stages, including site preparation, drilling through different geological formations, installing casing, cementing the well and conducting integrity tests. The final design depends on the expected depth, temp
source: Cornish Lithium
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