Hidden Energy Source Discovered Under Texas

While Texas is known for its oil and gas resources, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin say the state’s western border region is an ideal place to tap geothermal energy.
This energy doesn’t come from access to hot water – instead, the project aims to use a strategy from the fracking industry’s playbook, injecting water into hot underground rock to produce low-emissions energy.
While this approach may carry risks of earthquakes and tremors, local officials are still excited about the possibilities and will discuss next steps this year.

When it comes to renewable energy, solar, wind, and even hydropower are getting more attention in the U.S. than geothermal. It is worth noting, however, that the U.S. is the world leader in geothermal electricity generation, with 4 gigawatts.

Sounds good, right? Well, those numbers are relative to the country’s overall energy production, which puts geothermal energy at just 0.4 percent. Compare that to Iceland, for example, which uses geothermal sources to generate 66 percent of its primary energy. It certainly seems like the United States has room for growth when it comes to geothermal energy.

One such area, according to a comprehensive report by the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) at the University of Texas at Austin, is near the town of Presidio in southwest Texas. After receiving $15,000 for a feasibility study from the Presidio Municipal Development District in mid-2023, scientists studied the area for nine months before concluding it was ripe for geothermal development. And it’s not just Presidio—it’s the entire county, including towns like Marfa to the north.

“In summary, the immediate area around Presidio, and indeed the county as a whole, looks like a really good development target.” Ken Wisian of UT Austin saidwho led the study. “As good as or better than areas already being developed in Texas.”

This is largely due to recent developments in geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is typically at its best where hot water is available in permeable rock—the geysers in California are a good example. However, techniques from the oil and gas industry (primarily hydraulic fracturing or fracking) could potentially enable geothermal energy to be generated instead of Injecting water to areas of hot rock below the surface and allows them to heat the water before pumping it through turbines.

According to a report from UT Austin, this area along the Rio Grande — in the Permian Basin north of the county, where there’s no oil or gas drilling — has some of the “hottest underground rock east of the Rockies,” according to Marfa Public Radio. While the area isn’t exactly a population center, this untapped resource could bring industry and other jobs to the area. It could also give the oil and gas industry a renewable transformation, since many existing technologies can be used in geothermal production.

Of course, fracking for geothermal energy is not without risks.

In 2018, South Korea experienced the second-largest earthquake in modern history due to a geothermal plant, as water injection can cause tremors similar to fracking. While local leaders are still excited about the idea, according to Marfa Public Radio, the next steps toward a possible geothermal project along the U.S.-Mexico border won’t be discussed until later this year.

Darren lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes/edits about science fiction and how our world works. You can find his previous work on Gizmodo and Paste if you search hard enough.