Newberry Super Hot Rock

Executive Overview

The Newberry Super Hot Rock project is a superhot rock (SHR) enhanced geothermal system (EGS) developed by Mazama Energy at Newberry Volcano in central Oregon. Mazama was formed in 2023 from the merger of AltaRock Energy and Blade Energy Partners, and received a $20 million DOE grant under the Geothermal Technologies Office EGS Pilots programme. In October 2025, Mazama announced the world's hottest EGS: a successfully drilled 10,200-foot deviated producer well paired with a stimulated legacy injector well, achieving a peak bottomhole temperature of 331°C (629°F) and confirming reservoir connectivity between the two wells — the hottest EGS ever created globally and the first to validate superhot stimulation at this temperature range. The company is backed by Khosla Ventures and Gates Frontier. Next steps are a 15 MW commercial pilot using horizontal wells in 2026, followed by a 200 MW development at the same site. Vinod Khosla has estimated the full Newberry resource potential at up to 5 GW.

How It Works & Differentiation

Superhot rock geothermal targets formations above 375°C, at which water transitions into a supercritical state; energy extraction per drilled well is dramatically higher than conventional geothermal at lower temperatures. Mazama's proprietary MUSE (Modular Unconventional Superhot Energy) system deploys its Thermal Lattice™ stimulation — a patented process building on hydraulic fracturing but designed for superhot, heterogeneous rock — to create highly connected fracture networks. This was validated at Newberry in October 2025 using crosslinked fracturing fluid, sliding sleeves, chemical and nano tracers, and fibre-optic diagnostics for real-time fracture mapping. The company also demonstrated peak drill penetration rates of 100 feet per hour and average rates of 76 feet per hour across granite, basalt, and granodiorite. The GTO estimates 1% of the U.S. SHR resource alone could theoretically produce 4.3 TW of firm power.

Commercialization & Traction

The October 2025 demonstration at 331°C is the primary technology milestone: it de-risks the 15 MW pilot by confirming that Mazama's stimulation and well construction technologies work under superhot conditions in real field operations. In 2026, Mazama plans to drill deeper into the SuperHot Rock regime (targeting 400°C) using proprietary high-temperature materials. The technology's primary commercial target is data centres in the Pacific Northwest, driven by AI infrastructure demand. The company expects that superhot resources allow 10× greater power density per well, 75% less water use, and 80% fewer wells than current EGS approaches, and targets an LCOE below $50/MWh.

Scalability & Strategic Context

Newberry sits at the global frontier: no superhot EGS has been demonstrated at commercial scale anywhere in the world. The October 2025 milestone is the first validated step toward the 15 MW pilot. The Newberry site’s volcanic geology offers access to superhot conditions at relatively shallow depths versus most continental crust, making it unusually well-suited for SHR demonstration. Mazama’s MUSE technology is intended to be globally deployable — not dependent on volcanic geology — with Newberry serving as the proof-of-concept for a much wider addressable resource base.