ALPHAXIOMS Geothermal News & Energy Research

COWI and Sinotech Team Up on Taiwan’s Super-Hot Geothermal Potential Taiwan’s geothermal story is moving from possibility to execution, and the COWI-Sinotech collaboration is a sign that the sector is entering a more serious phase of development. The partnership is focused on unlocking super-hot geothermal resources, which could improve project economics and expand the country’s clean-energy options. Introduction Geothermal has long been one of Taiwan’s most intriguing renewable resources because the island sits on active tectonic terrain with strong heat potential. What has held the sector back is not a lack of heat, but the difficulty of converting that heat into bankable projects at scale. The new collaboration between COWI and Sinotech points to a more technical, internationally connected approach to solving that problem. Why Taiwan Matters Taiwan has ambitious decarbonization goals, and geothermal fits neatly into the need for firm, low-carbon power. Unlike solar and wind, geot...

GEL’s Technical-Grade Lithium Milestone Could Reshape UK Critical Minerals Supply Geothermal Engineering Ltd’s latest announcement is an important step for the UK’s lithium ambitions. The company says lithium carbonate produced from deep geothermal brine at United Downs now meets the 99.3% purity threshold for technical-grade material, which means it can be sold directly to battery supply chains without further refining.   Why this milestone matters This is significant because it moves geothermal lithium closer to commercial relevance, not just technical proof. A material that already meets market specification is much easier to integrate into downstream battery and industrial supply chains. It also strengthens the case that geothermal brines can support both clean power generation and critical minerals production from the same asset base.   For the UK, the timing is especially relevant. The government has set a target of meeting 10% of domestic critical mineral de...

Cornish Lithium awards contract for Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project to Halliburton‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‍‌‌...

Germany Invests €18.8 Million in Geothermal Energy at FH Münster North Rhine-Westphalia is putting geothermal energy at the center of its strategy to build more sustainable, energy-efficient and research-driven infrastructure. The state government has committed €18.8 million to expand geothermal heating and cooling at FH Münster’s Technology Campus Steinfurt, creating a major real-world laboratory for geothermal heat pumps, energy efficiency and climate-neutral campus development. The funding is part of the €60 billion Nordrhein-Westfalen-Plan für gute Infrastruktur , a 12-year infrastructure investment program described by the state as the largest investment program in North Rhine-Westphalia’s history. Of the total program, €2.3 billion is allocated to universities, research, higher education and knowledge transfer. For geothermal energy, the Steinfurt project is particularly significant because it goes beyond simply installing a heating system. The campus is being transformed into a...

The New Energy Frontier: Quaise Energy’s Superhot Geothermal Gambit in Oregon By Alphaxioms Editorial Team | September 4, 2026 In the high desert of Central Oregon, a project with implications far beyond Deschutes County is taking shape. Quaise Energy, now backed by a total of $280 million in funding, is advancing Project Obsidian, which it describes as the world’s first commercial superhot geothermal power plant . The company says the first phase is designed to deliver 50 MW by 2030, with a pathway toward 250 MW and ultimately more than 1 GW . Before the first megawatt reaches the grid, however, the project faces a local policy test: whether Deschutes County should grant a five-year property tax abatement under Oregon’s Rural Renewable Energy Development Zone Program. That decision is more than a routine incentive request. It is a referendum on how rural counties choose to support next-generation energy infrastructure and whether older incentive frameworks can accommodate a technolog...

Mijnwater starts drilling for new heat source on Terhoevenderweg in Heerlen New source expands Parkstad’s district heating and cooling network Mijnwater has started drilling work for a new heat source at Terhoevenderweg in Heerlen, marking another important step in the expansion of its sustainable heating and cooling network in Parkstad. After a period of preparation, work began this week and is expected to continue for three to four weeks. Because the operation must be completed safely and efficiently, the drilling is taking place 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The project is part of Mijnwater’s broader effort to strengthen a low-carbon energy system for the region. The new source will tap warm groundwater in a former mine passage deep underground and feed that energy into the company’s network. For Heerlen and the surrounding area, this means further development of a district energy system that draws value from the region’s mining past while supporting a more sustainable energy ...

Strataphy Partners With HUMAIN to Deploy PrimeLoop Cooling Across Saudi Arabia’s AI Data Centers Saudi Arabia is moving rapidly to establish itself as a global artificial intelligence and data-center powerhouse, and one of the most important challenges facing that ambition is not simply how much computing capacity can be installed, but how efficiently that computing capacity can be cooled. At LEAP 2026, Strataphy announced a partnership with HUMAIN to deploy its PrimeLoop® cooling technology across HUMAIN’s data-center infrastructure in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to the announcement, the engagement represents the first deployment of its kind for PrimeLoop® in Saudi Arabia and is designed to address one of the fundamental constraints of large-scale AI infrastructure: thermal management. The partnership comes as HUMAIN works toward a target of approximately 6 GW of AI compute. At that scale, cooling becomes a strategic infrastructure issue rather than a conventional dat...

Neptune Energy launches Pilot Phase II for lithium extraction in the Altmark: paving the way for European battery supply Neptune Energy has begun the second pilot phase of its Altmark Lithium Extraction Project (ALE). After a broad evaluation of  Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies in pilot phase I, the company is now focusing on an adsorption process and testing various adsorbent materials together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Infrastructures and Geotechnologies (IEG). The project aims to recover lithium from thermal deep groundwater in northern Saxony-Anhalt economically and with environmental safeguards , a step toward regional supply chains for battery raw materials in Europe. Project status and technical objectives A project-related resource of around 43 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) has been identified in the Altmark. The lithium is dissolved in thermal water at depths between approximately 3,000 and 4,000 metres. Neptune Energy...

Mazama Energy’s Athena drilling milestone points to a new phase for superhot rock geothermal Mazama Energy says its Athena well at Newberry, Oregon reached 10,350 feet in 15 drilling days, cutting the drilling time to the same depth by 80% versus its 2025 result. The company says the performance supports a broader case for superhot rock geothermal as a lower-cost, scalable source of firm power.   A faster drilling result Mazama’s update is important because drilling speed is one of the biggest cost drivers in geothermal development. Reaching the same depth in 15 days instead of the much longer 2025 campaign suggests the team is learning quickly and improving operational efficiency. The company also reported instantaneous rates of penetration above 350 feet per hour and sustained rates above 130 feet per hour over extended intervals.   That matters because geothermal economics often hinge on whether drilling can be made predictable, repeatable, and cheaper over time. ...

Dublin’s seismic survey will map deep underground geology to assess geothermal potential, reduce uncertainty, and support future clean, local energy development Dublin is about to become a live laboratory for one of the clean energy questions of the decade: can the heat stored deep beneath the city help warm homes, offices, schools, and hospitals? The answer is not known yet, but the Dublin Seismic Survey is designed to find out by mapping the geology 2 to 3 kilometres underground with a safe, non-invasive method that has already been used successfully in other European cities . A city listening underground At street level, the survey may look deceptively simple: a specialist truck pauses at intervals, presses a vibration plate to the road, and sends controlled energy into the ground. That energy bounces off different rock layers and structures, then returns to sensors along the route, where it is recorded and processed into images of the subsurface . The process is built around precis...