The Newberry Volcano project in Oregon aims to build what developers call the hottest geothermal plant on Earth and begin selling electricity to nearby homes and businesses in 2026. Supporters say the site’s measured temperatures — reported at 629 °F by the U.S. Geological Survey — and new high-temperature engineering could help geothermal scale beyond its current niche. The International Energy Agency estimates superhot geothermal resources could theoretically yield up to 150 times today’s global electricity use, though engineering, regulatory and environmental challenges remain.
Superhot Geothermal from Newberry Volcano to Power Homes by 2026
The Newberry Volcano project in Oregon aims to build what developers call the hottest geothermal plant on Earth and begin selling electricity to nearby homes and businesses in 2026. Supporters say the site’s measured temperatures — reported at 629 °F by the U.S. Geological Survey — and new high-temperature engineering could help geothermal scale beyond its current niche. The International Energy Agency estimates superhot geothermal resources could theoretically yield up to 150 times today’s global electricity use, though engineering, regulatory and environmental challenges remain.
12:44 PM, 11/20/2025Technology
Engineers are preparing to tap geothermal heat from Oregon’s Newberry Volcano to supply electricity to nearby homes and businesses, with power sales targeted to begin in 2026.
According to reporting in The Washington Post, the project team is building what they describe as the hottest geothermal power plant on Earth near Newberry. Developers and supporters say the site’s extremely high temperatures could help demonstrate a new approach to geothermal power that scales beyond its current niche role in global electricity systems.
Why this matters
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that very high-temperature geothermal resources could theoretically produce up to 150 times the electricity the world currently consumes if fully exploited. Proponents argue that unlocking these superhot resources would allow geothermal to become a major, reliable source of baseload power.
Voices from the project
“We believe this is the most direct path to driving down the cost of geothermal and making it possible across the globe,”
"The technological gaps are within reason. These are engineering iterations, not breakthroughs,"
said Terra Rogers of the Clean Air Task Force, summarizing the project's rationale. Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla added that to achieve geothermal at the scale of tens or hundreds of gigawatts, developers must solve the challenges associated with very high temperatures.
Site conditions and technical context
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that temperatures near the Newberry site have reached 629 °F, a figure cited by proponents as evidence of the location’s potential for superhot geothermal production. Developers plan to demonstrate high-temperature drilling, heat extraction and power-conversion technologies that could be replicated elsewhere if successful.
Opportunities and challenges
If the project meets its targets, it could lower costs and expand geothermal deployment globally. Still, scaling superhot geothermal will require addressing engineering, permitting, environmental, and community considerations, including careful management of subsurface risks and long-term resource sustainability.
As the pilot progresses toward 2026, observers will be watching whether the Newberry demonstration can move geothermal from a specialized technology to a larger contributor to clean, reliable electricity.