The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) has announced a $14 million project in Pennsylvania that will repurpose oil and gas infrastructure in the Utica Shale to field‑test enhanced geothermal systems (ESG) in the Appalachian Basin.
“As the first enhanced geothermal systems demonstration site located in the eastern United States, this project offers an important opportunity to assess the ability of such systems to deliver reliable, affordable geothermal electricity to Americans nationwide,” Kyle Haustveit, assistant secretary of the HGEO, said in a DOE press release announcing the project.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will serve as the project lead, partnering with Gradient Geothermal Inc., Lehigh University, Idaho National Laboratory, CNX Green Ventures, and Seequent, a subsidiary of Bentley Systems.
According to the DEP, the EGS pilot project will repurpose an existing unconventional horizontal gas well operated by CNX Green Ventures in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, although the specific well to be converted has not yet been selected. The county, which lies within the Appalachian Plateau, is in the west-central region of the state, approximately 50 miles east of Pittsburgh.
Neither DOE nor DEP has released a project timeline for the project, which remains in award negotiations and early planning, with well selection and permitting pending.
Traditional geothermal power generation depends on naturally occurring combinations of heat, permeability, and subsurface fluid. It has historically been concentrated in the US West because many regions lack sufficient water or permeability to allow fluids to circulate and transport heat to the surface.
EGS addresses this challenge by creating a more favorable reservoir, typically through stimulation techniques that enhance fracture networks in hot rock formations to enable the required fluid flow and heat recovery.
“The Department of Energy’s investments in enhanced geothermal systems represent a key advancement in our national energy strategy as we explore innovative ways to reach and use geothermal resources beyond what is currently possible,” Haustveit said.
If successful, the project could provide a replicable model for deploying EGS across the eastern US and other regions not traditionally associated with geothermal power.