Project InnerSpace announced the launch of GeoMap South America, a freely accessible platform that reveals the continent's untapped geothermal potential. The map integrates millions of surface and subsurface data points into the geothermal exploration platform.
GeoMap South America highlights where geothermal potential is strongest, including
- Andean geothermal potential—High-potential geothermal zones along the Andean volcanic belt could generate tens of gigawatts of reliable electricity. Estimated national resources include Argentina (1,200 GW), Peru (400 GW), Colombia (300 GW), and Chile (200 GW).
- Industrial and mining applications—Strong overlap exists between critical mineral deposits and areas with high geothermal potential, creating opportunities to power mining and mineral processing operations with clean, local geothermal energy. Northern Chile, southern Peru, and northwestern Argentina are among areas that demonstrate this potential.
- Urban resilience and district energy—Geothermal-based district heating and cooling systems could enhance energy security and quality of life in major cities.
- Brazil’s geothermal opportunities—With an estimated 2,000 GW of geothermal resources, Brazil shows strong potential for electricity generation, industrial heat, cooling, and subsurface energy storage. Areas of interest include the northeast region, which is well-suited for renewables-integrated storage systems; the Amazonas Basin for cooling applications; and the Paraná Basin for meeting local industrial energy needs.
South America's largest energy company, Petrobras, provided data structured from its internal databases to integrate with GeoMap South America.
"GeoMap South America significantly expands our capacity to evaluate new geothermal opportunities, particularly in regions with limited or proprietary data. We look forward to leaning into GeoMap as we build our geothermal exploration strategy and as we strengthen our technological standing and leadership in developing this massive, sustainable, and local resource," said Anna Eliza Svartman, Petrobras’ basin modeling manager.
GeoMap South America is the latest GeoMap in a series including Africa, North America, India, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East.
"The oil and gas industry holds the key to unlocking the speed, scale, and technological advancement that will raise geothermal out of obscurity and into the mainstream," said Jamie Beard, executive director of Project InnerSpace.