By Fiona Jeffreys
Fervo Energy’s Cape Station demonstrates how combining technical ingenuity with digital innovation is helping reshape the geothermal energy landscape.
As the world’s largest next-generation geothermal project, Cape Station not only redefines the possibilities of geothermal energy but also sets a benchmark for the integration of advanced digital technologies in subsurface modelling and analysis.
Located in Beaver County, Utah – a region rich in geothermal potential and adjacent to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) – Fervo Energy’s Cape Station capitalises on an ideal convergence of natural resources, infrastructure, and innovation.
The project plans to deliver a staggering 500 megawatts (MW) of low carbon electricity upon completion of its initial two phases, marking a significant stride toward reducing reliance on fossil fuels and supporting the region’s ambitious clean energy targets.
‘Fervo Energy’s innovative Cape Station project is a great example of how subsurface digital technology is helping to unlock new frontiers in clean, reliable geothermal power production,’ said Jeremy O’Brien, Segment Director, Energy, at Seequent.
Fervo’s Cape Utah project
Sights set on scalable clean, geothermal energy
Cape Station builds on the successful legacy of Fervo’s earlier achievement, Project Red, which changed the perception of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) by leveraging horizontal drilling and multistage stimulation technologies adapted from the oil and gas sector.
Project Red has demonstrated over 12 months of continuous, decline-free operation supplying renewable energy to partners such as Google. Fervo now aims to scale up at Cape Station and is in the process of building the first power plants.
Next-generation geothermal projects like Cape Station face a multitude of technical challenges. Chief among these is the need to create and maintain a high-permeability reservoir within deep, hot, and geologically complex rock formations, where traditional geothermal techniques are infeasible.
Accurate, adaptable subsurface models are crucial for optimising well placement, managing drilling risk, and ensuring the long-term productivity and sustainability of the resource.
Fervo’s ambitious objectives for Cape Station:
- Reduce development timelines and cost risks through robust pre-drill modelling and real-time data integration.
- Achieve high flow rates and well success through precise targeting and advanced stimulation techniques.
- Minimise land and water use, maximising economic and community benefits while delivering substantial carbon savings.
- Demonstrate the scalability and repeatability of EGS as a cornerstone of future renewable energy portfolios.
The predictive power of integrated digital models
To understand underground complexities, Fervo Energy harnessed Seequent solutions – Leapfrog Energy, Oasis montaj, and Seequent Central.
The innovative geological modelling, data management and cloud-based team collaboration software enabled Fervo to create, refine, and operationalise highly detailed 3D subsurface models accessible across five offices and three time zones.
This integrated digital environment facilitated seamless collaboration between geophysicists, geologists, and engineers, allowing rapid assimilation of new data from ongoing drilling and surveys.
The process began with the aggregation of vast, multi-source datasets: historical wells, geoscience records, gravity surveys, and magnetotelluric (MT) data from the neighbouring FORGE initiative.
Oasis montaj enabled intricate modelling and interpretation of geophysical data, while Leapfrog Energy was used to construct and iteratively update the 3D geological models.
Seequent Central served as the connective tissue – an auditable, cloud-based, centralised platform designed for data management, visualisation, and communication across multiple teams and decision-makers.
Reduce uncertainty. Sharpen EGS drilling success.
This digital-first approach accelerated the pace of development, enabling pre-drill models to be sharpened as new information emerged during drilling campaigns.
‘Leapfrog is the easiest, fastest, and most intuitive 3D geomodelling software available which enables us to integrate all different types of geothermal data,’ said Steven Fercho, Exploration Geoscience Lead at Fervo Energy.
‘It’s our most important tool to characterise the subsurface to determine the best location of the wells before we drill. And, as we drill, we can update our models for continuous planning, which lowers risk and speeds delivery of our projects,’ he said.
The advanced models also enabled Fervo to interrogate microseismic data, compare natural and induced fracture networks, and refine stimulation strategies not only for Cape Station but for future EGS projects.
The result was a dramatic reduction in uncertainty around key variables such as temperature, rock orientation, and hardness—factors critical to EGS success.
Cape Station’s milestone achievements and impact:
- Over 204,000 feet drilled, including more than 105,000 feet in challenging granitic basement rock, all while maintaining a one-rig program.
- Drilled 20 fully horizontal EGS wells, validating the predictive power of the digital models and demonstrating 100% well success at 18% below budget.
- Consistently high flow rates, with 30-day flow tests confirming the ability to generate 10MW of power from a single well—tripling the power output per unit time compared to conventional geothermal systems.
- High-intensity fracture stimulation and optimised well design have increased theoretical power density to over 75 MW per square mile, dramatically improving land-use efficiency.
These breakthroughs have shortened project timelines, improved drilling rates, and reduced development costs.
+ 204,000ft
Drilled, including 105,000 feet in granitic basement rock
100%
Success rate achieved on wells drilled at 18% under budget
10MWe
Produced from a single well during a 30-day flow test
Redefining global geothermal energy potential
By fusing cutting-edge subsurface modelling with bold drilling strategies, Fervo has created a template that can inspire and inform the next generation of renewable energy developments globally.
Each megawatt of installed capacity requires just 1.5 acres—far less than comparable solar facilities. The closed-loop nature of Fervo’s operations means that any water produced is recycled, resulting in minimal wastewater discharge.
The project’s economic ripple effects are equally significant. Fervo’s intention to prioritise local hiring has generated over 200 temporary construction jobs and will create 15-30 permanent on-site roles once operational.
During peak construction, the site supports 40,000 hours of work monthly, with an anticipated $1.1 billion in local economic impact over the project’s lifecycle.
By delivering on clean energy goals, stimulating the regional economy, and proving that EGS can be both technologically and commercially viable at scale, Cape Station serves as a beacon for redefining the possibilities for sustainable geothermal energy development worldwide.
* Fervo Energy was the winner of Bentley System’s Going Digital Awards—Subsurface Modeling and Analysis category for 2025.