390,000,000,000 kWh appears under 6 states ― They will be richer than Dubai
Have you ever stopped to think that the answer to the energy crisis we are experiencing could have been right under our feet this whole time? Well, apparently, they found a region underground in six states in America that was storing an immense amount of geothermal energy that could supply up to 10% of the entire country’s electricity demand. What can we expect? Well, in addition to a lot of innovation in the energy sector, you can be sure that these states are about to become super-rich.
Geothermal energy in 6 states
What do you know about geothermal energy? Quite simply, this energy uses the Earth’s heat to generate electricity, heat homes, and provide hot water. And how does it extract heat from the Earth? Well, it is extracted through deep wells underground, where the heat heats the water.
Now that we know more about what it is, we can go into the recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that discovered a region of the North American subsoil where a quantity of geothermal energy was hidden, capable of supplying millions and millions of people. We are talking about 390 billion kilowatt-hours per year.
The region in question is called the Great Basin, and no, it is not a single geological basin, but rather a large, mountainous, and arid area, located in the western United States. The region is formed by faults, has high internal heat and low rock permeability, that is, the best possible scenario for producing geothermal energy.
Why is this discovery so important?
If you’re into geography, you might already have an inkling about which states make up the Great Basin region we’re talking about, but here are the answers: Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and California (more US states like these have seen major energy breakthroughs). They’re so powerful that, to give you an idea, Nevada and Utah alone were previously estimated (from 2008) to generate up to 150 GW of geothermal capacity. According to Sarah Ryker, acting director of the USGS:
“Our focus is on unknown resources that have not yet been fully explored, let alone developed. We began this work in the Great Basin because of the region’s history of geothermal activity. Using this work, along with artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, will help us assess geothermal energy potential across the country more quickly and accurately.”
What makes these states so strong in this type of energy? Well, they have characteristics in common, such as an arid climate, few people in key regions, and a geology ideal for deep geothermal exploration. In other words, they went from being an unproductive desert to the biggest epicenter of the race for clean energy, in addition to wealth, of course.
Why is this discovery so important?
Why is this discovery so important? In addition to all the wealth that these states can acquire, we must remember that the entire world is in a scenario of energy transition. The focus now is to reduce carbon emissions and search, almost unbridled, for renewable and continuous sources; in other words, this revelation can redefine the US energy matrix.
Oh! And it is worth mentioning some of the results of this study: in the Great Basin alone, the estimated potential for electrical generation is 135 gigawatts, representing around 390 billion kWh per year, which is equivalent to 10% of all electricity consumed in the US today. In even more optimistic scenarios, the potential could reach up to 13 terawatts, which is ten times the current electrical capacity of the United States. As if this discovery were not enough, American scientists have also found rocks capable of producing infinite water – it seems that these states will not live on energy alone.
For more information about this discovery, you can consult the full study: Burns, E.R., Williams, C.F., and DeAngelo, J., 2025, Enhanced geothermal systems electric-resource assessment for the Great Basin, southwestern United States: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2025–3027, 4 p.