AZGS attends launch of Mountain West Geothermal Consortium
A Fervo Energy engineer explains the operation of Cape Station's geothermal power plant, highlighting heat-exchange systems and power-generation infrastructure during a tour for state energy and geoscience representatives from across the Intermountain West.
Brian Gootee
The Mountain West Geothermal Consortium (MWGC) was formally launched at a meeting on May 19. The new consortium, supported by the Center for Public Enterprise, brings together representatives from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah to accelerate geothermal energy development across the Mountain West. Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) Research Scientist Brian Gootee attended the meeting as part of the technical advisory support for Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs; Gootee is leading the AZGS involvement in the Governor’s Office of Resiliency effort to expand geothermal research and resources across the state.
Surface wellhead infrastructure at Cape Station. Production and injection wells work together to circulate fluids through a deep geothermal reservoir, allowing heat to be extracted and converted into reliable, carbon-free electricity.
Brian Gootee
At the meeting, state officials kickstarted their regional partnership designed to unlock large-scale geothermal resources and expand reliable, around-the-clock clean energy generation. The consortium's goals include:
- Coordinating state permitting and regulatory processes;
- Sharing geological and resource data across state lines;
- Improving regional transmission and grid connections;
- Developing financing strategies that attract both public and private investment; and
- Advocating for supportive federal policies and funding.
Leaders emphasized that advances in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), which adapt drilling technologies from the oil and gas industry, have made geothermal power far more scalable than in the past. The consortium estimates that the Mountain West contains hundreds of gigawatts of geothermal potential, positioning the region to become a major source of dependable, carbon-free baseload electricity. As part of the meeting, Fervo Energy gave attendees a tour of the Cape Station geothermal development, located in Beaver County, Utah, northeast of Milford. This EGS power plant is on track to reach approximately 100 megawatts of operating capacity by early 2027.
The meeting also highlighted the economic benefits of geothermal development, including job creation, energy security, and support for growing electricity demand from industries such as data centers and advanced manufacturing. AZGS is excited to continue our involvement in the MWGC, an outstanding example of a bipartisan, collaborative, multi-state effort to enhance geothermal energy in our state and region, and contribute to our resource and economic development.
A view of wind turbines, geothermal rigs at Cape Station (one in the foreground and one far away, drilling towards each other), and solar fields in the distance. A rare view where one can see solar, wind, and geothermal energy in close vicinity.
Brian Gootee