National Renewable Energy Laboratory Working with GA Drilling to Commercialize Geothermal Technology

GA Drilling, a geothermal drilling company specializing in deep geothermal drilling technology, has partnered with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to commercialize a high-temperature downhole generator designed for improving geothermal drilling applications.

The collaboration aims to advance the development of the technology to full-scale field testing in commercial drilling systems. The Colorado-based NREL has designed and demonstrated a generator for downhole power generation during geothermal drilling.

GA Drilling will leverage NREL’s expertise to develop this generator technology by integrating it into their PLASMABIT Hybrid drilling solution.

NREL has developed a downhole generator capable of producing electricity directly at the drill bit. The technology is designed to operate in temperatures up to 250°C, which eliminates the need for external power cables, reducing operational delays and enhancing drilling efficiency.

“Geothermal energy has the potential to revolutionize clean energy production, and this collaboration with NREL marks a significant step toward making deep geothermal drilling more viable and efficient,” said Igor Kocis, CEO of GA Drilling. “By leveraging NREL’s cutting-edge downhole power generation technology along with their research bench, we aim to overcome key technical barriers and accelerate the commercialization of our PLASMABIT Hybrid drilling system.”

With this collaboration, GA Drilling is proceeding towards full-scale commercialization, thus providing support for technology modification and upcoming field testing. ‘

In recent years, conventional oil and gas production and drilling firms such as Chevron and Nabors Industries have begun exploring new ways to tap geothermal capacity for energy-efficient heating and combined heat and power operations. Geothermal investment is not growing as fast as solar or battery storage, but many energy industry forecasters predict it could double to more than $100 billion by the end of the decade.