Leading the Charge: Scaling Geothermal Projects for Utility-Scale Power Generation
The geothermal industry is entering a pivotal stage of growth. Significant investment, advancing technologies and rising demand for reliable, domestic energy are creating new opportunities for geothermal development. However, scaling from successful resource discovery to hundreds of megawatts of generation requires different capabilities than those needed during exploration and appraisal stages.
Drawing on lessons from the rapid expansion of solar, energy storage, midstream infrastructure and the early gas generation boom, this webinar explores what it takes to scale geothermal projects from pilot through execution.
In many ways, geothermal's evolution parallels two linked transformative buildouts: the gas-fired generation buildout starting in the early 2000s, which rapidly expanded power infrastructure, and the shale revolution, where developers learned to achieve execution efficiency and lifecycle management at scale. Burns & McDonnell has played a significant role in both markets, offering a unique perspective on how emerging energy technologies move from promise to widespread deployment.
We'll examine the critical decisions that can shape project outcomes, including schedule development, permitting integration, long-lead equipment procurement, capital deployment strategies and the coordination required between subsurface and surface development activities.
As geothermal companies move from subsurface development into power generation, they often encounter a fundamentally different set of challenges. The organizations leading geothermal's next phase of growth may benefit from leveraging specialized EPCs to accelerate deployment and reduce execution risk while they remain focused on their core strengths.
Join industry leaders from Burns & McDonnell as they discuss the realities of building geothermal power projects, the common challenges facing first-time developers and the lessons learned from other emerging energy technologies that can help accelerate geothermal's role in North America's energy future.
What You'll Learn:
- Key lessons from the growth of solar, energy storage and gas generation that can be applied to geothermal development.
- How permitting, procurement and execution planning influence project schedules and financing.
- Where developers should expect early capital commitments and long-lead procurement risks.
- Why successful geothermal deployment requires alignment between subsurface expertise and power generation execution experience.
- Critical considerations around water supply, infrastructure and project logistics.
- How utilities, data center developers and geothermal companies can position projects for successful commercial-scale deployment.
Speakers:
Julie O’Leary, Geochemist and Exploration Geologist, PG, in the Environmental Group at Burns & McDonnell
Derek Lester, Staff Mechanical Engineer in the New Energy Solutions Group at Burns & McDonnell