For Fervo, Oilfield Technologies Bring Electrifying Results
Texas-born Tim Latimer knows a thing or two about horizontal drilling and fracking. After his years-long stint as a drilling engineer in the Permian and Eagle Ford, Latimer left his career in the oil and gas industry in 2015 to unlock a different source of energy beneath the surface. Now eight years later and with $200 million in funding, he’s applying those same drilling and fracking technologies to tap geothermal energy.
Reese Energy Consulting today is following the latest news from Latimer, CEO of Houston-based Fervo Energy, which has completed a 30-day test at its Nevada pilot plant that proves what he’s believed all along—that it’s possible to produce around-the-clock, carbon-free geothermal energy in new geographies across the world.
The test, in partnership with Google, involved drilling down to 7,700 feet, then drilling horizontally another 3,250 feet where internal temps reached 375º F. According to Fervo, the test achieved conditions that would generate 3.5 MW of electricity production, enough to power 2,625 homes.
Google contracted with Fervo in 2021 to provide geothermal energy that will power its cloud data centers in Las Vegas. Fervo has now started construction on a 400-MW project slated to go online in 2028. The company also has a bevy of other believers lined up, including Okla. City-based Devon, which invested $10 million in Fervo in April, Helmrich & Payne, Liberty oilfield services, and numerous others.