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Proven at 629°F with the potential to deliver gigawatt-scale, always-on power, anywhere.
Temperature changes the economics of geothermal. The hotter the rock, the more energy each well can deliver, and the fewer wells it takes to produce the same power.
At roughly 705°F, water crosses its critical point. It becomes supercritical: neither conventional liquid nor steam, but a more energy-dense fluid capable of carrying far more heat to the surface. That threshold opens the door to a step change in geothermal efficiency and power density. It’s the frontier Mazama is advancing toward. Our pilot demonstration brought it within reach.
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Conventional engineered geothermal systems (EGS) solved the location problem, building the reservoir instead of finding it. The limit that remains is heat. Today's systems run near 400°F, and at that temperature each well delivers modest power, so scale has to come from drilling more of them. Older hydrothermal plants are narrower still, needing hot water already moving close to the surface, an accident of geology found in a handful of places.
Hot dry rock between 572°F and 705°F, sitting under the whole planet, and out of reach until a reservoir could be engineered and held at those temperatures. Our pilot proved it at 629°F.
Above the critical point of water, the fluid circulating through the rock becomes supercritical and carries far more energy per unit of flow. That's the physics behind up to ten times the power per well, and it turns geothermal from a local accident into a national resource.
One scale, three regimes. Conventional plants work below 572°F, where the heat has to find its own way toward the surface. The Hot Rock band above it is present almost everywhere but has to be engineered. Past 705°F water turns supercritical and carries far more energy per unit of flow — which is why the power per well moves from 4 MW to 40.
One scale, three regimes. Conventional plants work below 572°F, where the heat has to find its own way toward the surface. The Hot Rock band above it is present almost everywhere but has to be engineered. Past 705°F water turns supercritical and carries far more energy per unit of flow — which is why the power per well moves from 4 MW to 40.
Electrified homes and vehicles, returning industry, and data centers are adding load faster than anyone can build generation that runs every hour of the year.
Superhot rock geothermal is firm power without the fuel: always on, a small footprint, and built wherever the rock is hot enough rather than found where geology allows. At scale, it is projected to compete with the cheapest firm power on the grid. And the United States, with a drilling workforce and supply chain built over a century of oil and gas exploration and development, is better placed to build it than anyone.
of U.S. utility-scale electricity comes from geothermal, almost all of it from a handful of western states where hot water reaches the surface on its own.
The heat isn't unique to this site, it's everywhere beneath us. We drilled at Newberry because superhot rock is closer to the surface than most places, and because 50 years of geothermal exploration have made it some of the best-mapped ground in the country.
Conventional geothermal needs a rare accident of geology. Engineered geothermal drills deeper, into rock that is hot at depth almost everywhere, and builds the reservoir instead of hunting for one. What Newberry proves is repeatable wherever the rock is hot enough.
Projects in the same temperature range as Newberry, on six continents - Clean Air Task Force
Land already acquired outside Oregon. Newberry will not be the only place we build.
The gap between what geothermal supplies and what the rock holds is the opportunity.
MUSE is not one breakthrough technology that has to work. It is three systems engineered to run as one, and they already have, in the field. Protected by 24 granted patents, with more pending.
Horizontal wells for maximum contact with the rock, and well construction that holds its integrity at temperatures that destroy conventional equipment.
An engineered reservoir that opens a durable pathway network for heat: water moving through a large volume of hot rock, with the pathways staying open.
Forecasting how the reservoir and wells perform over years, so output can be contracted rather than hoped for.
A superhot rock plant sits on a small surface footprint while drawing power from a vast volume of rock below. The energy is measured in square miles underground and acres above.
350 acres of well pad
100 acres of well pad
“Mazama’s Projects Athena and Ceres are pivotal milestones in the progression of next-generation geothermal. Continued field demonstration and innovation can help expand the range of geothermal resources and locations capable of delivering reliable, 24/7 energy at scale.”
US Department of Energy
“Mazama’s team successfully deployed a spectrum of innovative technologies – including directional drilling, high-temperature well construction, and proprietary stimulation – to deliver performance under conditions far beyond traditional oil and gas industry limits.”
Khosla Ventures
“To do consequential geothermal that matters at the scale of tens or hundreds of gigawatts for the country, and many times that globally, you really need to solve for high temperatures.”
Washington Post
Above the critical point of water, fluid circulated through the rock becomes supercritical — carrying several times the energy per unit of flow, and turning a good resource into a category-defining one.
One scale, three regimes. Conventional plants work below 572°F, where the heat has to find its own way toward the surface. The Hot Rock band above it is present almost everywhere but has to be engineered. Past 705°F water turns supercritical and carries far more energy per unit of flow — which is why the power per well moves from 4 MW to 40.
Utilities, grid planners and hyperscalers. Let’s talk about what you need and when you need it.
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