Presented: World Geothermal Congress 2026
John Clegg*, Matthew White, Peter Harvey and Steve Krase
Read Published Paper.
ABSTRACT
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS) represent the next frontier in geothermal energy, leveraging proven directional drilling technologies from the oil and gas sector to access heat in regions previously unreachable through conventional hydrothermal wells.
Accurate well placement, typically involving horizontal trajectories, is critical to the success of these unconventional systems. The oil and gas industry brings decades of expertise and mature directional drilling capabilities, instrumental in drilling next-generation geothermal wells. However, to make EGS and AGS economically viable at scale, wells must be drilled and completed at significantly higher temperatures, beyond the thermal limits of current oil and gas equipment.