What’s Inside
The Drill Down
June 24, 2026
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Director's Letter
Welcome to summer! As we head into the sunny season, there’s no sign of lazy, hazy days at the Office of Geothermal. We are hard at work supporting innovation and bringing opportunities to the geothermal community.
As part of our commitment to highlighting the important work of our office and its research partners, we have published new project spotlights on our website. This month, we’re featuring three different initiatives: Drilling Demonstrations, Hydraulic Properties, and District-Scale Geothermal Energy Pilots. These efforts reflect the multi-faceted world of geothermal energy—as does the newest Geothermal INTERN cohort! Make sure to read our new success story showcasing the exciting work of this 17-student cohort and the Geothermal INTERN opportunity, where graduate students acquire hands-on experience by working within the geothermal industry.
I also want to share a quick update about a temporary shift in my role within the Department of Energy (DOE): I will be taking a two month assignment as the Acting Energy Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, where I will focus on advancing DOE’s energy priorities, including geothermal. While I am excited to spend time in such an inspiring geothermal country, I will truly miss the geothermal community—especially my incredible colleagues. The Office of Geothermal will be in very good hands while I am away, though: our very own Sean Porse will serve as Acting Director, continuing our work to accelerate geothermal. So, be sure to keep an eye out for what's hot this summer!
Lauren Boyd
Office of Geothermal Director
Trivia Question: What Balkan country boasts over 700 mineral springs?
New Geothermal INTERN Cohort Gains Real-World Experience
The National Science Foundation and DOE have selected the third cohort of graduate students in the Geothermal INTERN opportunity and their internships are underway. As geothermal research and development accelerates across the United States, this opportunity is helping build the skilled workforce needed to support industry growth, connecting emerging talent with real-world, hands-on experience across the geothermal sector.
Office of Geothermal Drilling Project Works to Reduce Drilling Costs
The Geysers Power Company, LLC, and its partners leveraged innovative drilling technology and methodologies to work towards improving drilling rates for geothermal wells. Part of the Office of Geothermal’s Drilling Demonstrations initiative, the project used a workflow process developed by the oil and gas industry, as well as polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits.
Supporting Geothermal Opportunities Within a Tribal Community
This University of Oklahoma pilot project, conducted in partnership with Citizen Potawatomi Nation, is funded through the Office of Geothermal’s District-Scale Geothermal Energy Pilots initiative. The project will demonstrate the performance of a solar-geothermal district heating and cooling system, providing an economically feasible option for the community.
Project Spotlight on Research to Improve EGS Reservoirs
Funded by the Office of Geothermal’s Hydraulic Properties initiative, Montana State University is investigating technologies that can control the location and magnitude of permeability reduction within enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) fracture networks.
Utah FORGE Presents Update of Activities and Plans
Presented by Dr. Kristie McLin, Director of Research and Science at Utah FORGE, the webinar discussed planned work and current activities that aim to advance the technical foundation needed to achieve DOE cost and deployment goals for geothermal energy.
Headlines Around DOE
DOE Announces $134 Million to Bolster Rare Earth Element Supply Chains
DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation announced $134 million for two projects that will strengthen domestic supply chains by demonstrating commercial viability of recovering and refining rare earth elements from unconventional feedstocks, including mine tailings, electronic waste, and other waste materials.
Opportunity to Support Tribal Land Resource Development Goes Live
The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs is accepting applications for the Tribal Energy Development Capacity funding opportunity, which will support Tribes in building capacity for energy resource development on Indian land. Applications are due July 16.
Looking Ahead
2026 Geothermal Rising Conference
September 20‒23, 2026 | Houston, TX
The Office of Geothermal will be attending the 2026 GRC in Houston, TX. The conference is the geothermal industry’s flagship annual conference, with presentations, keynote speakers, and a technical program.
In Case You Missed It
University of Utah Hosts First Geothermal Workshop
Last week, the Energy & Geoscience Institute, in collaboration with Utah FORGE, hosted its first University of Utah Geothermal Workshop. The workshop was a combination of presentations, sessions, and panels focused on moving next-generation geothermal forward.
Art Piece Displays the Geothermal World Beneath Our Feet
A trailblazing piece of digital art by Peggy Weil, Core Memory, brings two “underscapes” to an immersive 24-foot screen: the Salton Sea Geothermal Field in California, where temperatures reach up to 390°C (734°F), and glacial ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Salton Sea cores were part of a DOE-funded project and are stored at the University of Utah’s Energy & Geoscience Institute’s sample library.
Multistate Initiative to Expand Geothermal Power
Led by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), the Office of Geothermal’s Geothermal Power Accelerator is working with participating states to expand the use of geothermal power on the nation’s grid. Work includes strategy sessions and policy discussions to help shape targeted state actions
Geothermal in the News
- Congress Finds a Unifying Issue — Geothermal Energy | Roll Call
- Introducing the Mountain West Geothermal Consortium | Deseret News
- PNNL Teams Up with Fervo Energy and NVIDIA to Accelerate Geothermal Energy Development | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Trivia Answer: Bulgaria! The Balkans are famous for their therapeutic spas (called banya or banja) that have operated in the region since Roman times.
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