Major Energy Source Found Beneath U.S.-Mexico Border in Rio Grande

(NewsNation) — Scientists have discovered a significant source of geothermal energy beneath the U.S.-Mexico border along the Rio Grande River, which could lead to promising clean energy development in the rural region.

These conclusions came after a month-long study by the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin, which found that the region of Presidio County, Texas, bordering Mexico, had the conditions necessary for the development of geothermal energy.

“There is a narrow 10-15 mile region that runs parallel or along the Rio Grande that has very high temperatures, at least by most standards, and even in the interior part of the county, which is probably two-thirds of the county,” Chief Ken Wisian said research team, in an interview with NewsNation.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, geothermal energy is a clean, renewable energy source produced deep within the Earth’s core that can be used to generate heat and electricity.

The findings are significant because although the United States is the world’s largest producer of geothermal energy, it accounts for less than half a percent of the total grid, which is incredibly large, Wisian said.

County officials have welcomed the findings as they are excited about the prospect of creating a geothermal power plant that will inevitably create new jobs and reduce energy costs for local communities.

Presidio is one of the poorest counties in the United States.

“The development of geothermal energy would solve virtually all the goals set out in the economic development plan,” Wisian said, adding that this energy could be an important source for agriculture and industry.

It can generate significantly more electricity than it needs, meaning the county could potentially sell the excess back to the grid or attract new businesses, he said.

“Geothermal energy has a lot to offer to rural communities, underserved communities, something like Presidio checks every block with very large federal investments in production in the form of renewable energy tax credits,” Wisian said.

The commune is already considering how to obtain funds for the implementation of this project.

“We just get together and draft proposals and then go to the county and say, ‘Look, this is what we came up with,’” said Trey Gerfers, who runs the county’s groundwater district, according to ThinkGeoEnergy.

While this may be optimal from an environmental perspective, Presidio County has political resonance because it sits on the Mexican border and serves as a point of entry for migrants seeking asylum.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said there have been just over 3,000 migrant “encounters” in the Big Bend area, where Presidio is located, this fiscal year, a 63% drop from the same time last year.

Wisian, however, says he does not see geothermal energy extraction as posing any security risk to border protection because the drilling requires little space and can take place on the Texas side of the border.

He added that the plant could potentially inspire Mexico to launch its own geothermal energy production on its side of the border, where the same underground heat is also available.