In Oregon, geothermal energy company Mazama Energy is drilling its second well, called Athena. While it’s a common practice for this energy source, the time it took the company to drill is not. It drilled 10,359 feet deep in only 15 days.

Athena builds on the efforts of the 2025 Newberry project, where the company built the world’s hottest engineered geothermal system pilot at 629°F. Athena, however, reached its depth mark in 80% fewer days than the 2025 well did. The company is now focusing on a final depth of about 15,500 feet to reach temperatures over 750°F.

“Our goal was to demonstrate that we could drill faster and be cost effective as we move toward increasingly hotter and deeper conditions,” said Pat Brand, Project Athena Director and Mazama’s Drilling SME. “We still have work ahead as we drill toward 750+°F temperatures, but the performance we are already seeing gives us confidence.”

Faster Drilling for Geothermal Energy

Photo: Mazama Energy

Advertisement

The drill topped at 350 feet per hour and held a steady pace of over 130 feet per hour for long stretches. One bit ran for 3,578 feet straight, and the equipment held up with zero downhole motor failures. This data gives the company evidence that it needed to eventually certify a 10 gigawatt energy resource at the site.

With the U.S. Department of Energy’s help, the company is planning Project Ceres to drill commercial-scale horizontal wells in late 2026.

“Mazama’s Projects Athena and Ceres are pivotal milestones in the progression of next-generation geothermal,” said Sean Porse, Acting Director, Geothermal Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy. “Continued field demonstration and innovation can help expand the range of geothermal resources and locations capable of delivering reliable, 24/7 energy at scale.”

Competing With Natural Gas

“We have the demonstrated superhot rock platform which includes well construction, drilling, and stimulation to substantially increase the power capacity of engineered geothermal systems. This allows our projects to drill fewer wells, use less water, and minimize surface footprint to drive down capital and compete on cost with natural gas,” said Sriram Vasantharajan, Chief Executive Officer of Mazama Energy. “We expect our first commercial project at Newberry, to achieve $4,500 to $4,950 per kilowatt initial development cost and inform a tangible pathway to $3,200 per kilowatt as the technology scales. Each milestone strengthens the pathway to cost-competitive baseload superhot rock geothermal power at scale.”