Oil skills and tech are driving Texas’s unexpected geothermal surge
Oilfield veterans and drilling technology are fueling a quiet geothermal energy boom in Texas, aiming to bring steady clean power to the grid while offering oil workers a new lease on their careers.
Saul Elbein reports for The Hill.
In short:
- Oil and gas workers in Texas are transitioning to geothermal drilling, using the same tools and techniques that powered the fracking boom.
- Enhanced geothermal startups are attracting investment and political support by positioning themselves as a stable, weatherproof power source.
- These companies aim to meet rising electricity demand from data centers and crypto mines, but risk losing ground to natural gas if they can't scale fast.
Key quote:
“If geothermal doesn’t prove itself in this massive build-out to address data center demand, I worry that geothermal may never get off the ground.”
— Jamie Beard, founder of geothermal advocacy group Project InnerSpace
Why this matters:
As Texas grapples with the slow but steady decline of fossil fuel jobs, geothermal energy is emerging as a surprisingly promising contender in the state’s energy mix. Long known for its oil rigs and gas fields, Texas also sits on a deep reservoir of underground heat — one that could be tapped for clean, consistent power. Geothermal plants offer round-the-clock energy without the toxic emissions that accompany traditional drilling, and the work needed to build and maintain them often mirrors the skills of oilfield laborers. That overlap could soften the economic blow for communities historically tied to fossil fuels.
Still, questions remain about whether geothermal can grow quickly enough to keep pace with the state’s surging energy appetite — especially from data centers, AI infrastructure, and crypto mining hubs that demand nonstop electricity. If the industry can scale, geothermal could help Texas reduce its heavy reliance on gas-fired power, cutting air pollution while keeping the lights on in a digital-first economy. For now, it sits in a tense balancing act between potential and practicality.
Related: Texas turns to geothermal energy with former oil workers at the helm
