Mazama Energy Inc. is set to begin geothermal exploration work near Newberry Volcano in central Oregon starting December 22, 2024, testing whether rocks heated to extreme temperatures deep underground can deliver round-the-clock electricity. The project targets what the company calls “Super-Hot Rock” enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS, defined as rock at or above 375 degrees Celsius. If the demonstration succeeds, it could help answer a question that has frustrated energy developers at this site for decades: whether Newberry’s intense underground heat can be turned into reliable power.
Why Newberry Has Tempted and Frustrated Drillers
Newberry Volcano sits about 20 miles south of Bend, Oregon, and its underground heat has attracted energy developers since at least the 1980s. Exploratory wells drilled over the years confirmed high temperatures at relatively shallow depths, making the site look like a prime candidate for geothermal power. But those same campaigns ran into a persistent problem: the rock formations did not produce enough natural fluid flow to sustain electricity generation. Heat was abundant. Water circulation was not.
That gap between temperature promise and fluid reality is exactly what enhanced geothermal systems are designed to close. Rather than relying on naturally occurring hot water reservoirs, EGS creates artificial fracture networks in hot rock and then circulates injected water through them to extract heat. The concept has been tested at Newberry before. A prior demonstration led by AltaRock Energy injected 9,500 cubic meters of water, roughly 2.5 million gallons, over four weeks of hydraulic stimulation at a maximum wellhead pressure of 195 bar (2,850 psi). That earlier effort proved stimulation was physically possible at the site, but it did not produce a commercially viable power loop.
Mazama’s Super-Hot Rock Bet
Mazama Energy’s new project pushes the concept further by targeting rock at or above 375 degrees Celsius, a threshold the company defines as “Super-Hot Rock” EGS. At those temperatures, injected water can reach a supercritical state, where it carries far more energy per unit of volume than conventional steam. The physics are straightforward: hotter rock means each gallon of circulated fluid can generate more electricity, which could make the economics of EGS viable where earlier, cooler attempts fell short.
In a company statement distributed through a Business Wire release, Mazama’s leadership described geothermal as capable of providing “24/7 baseload power.” That phrase carries weight in energy planning. Unlike solar and wind, which fluctuate with weather and time of day, a geothermal plant tapping a stable heat source can run continuously. For grid operators trying to balance growing shares of intermittent renewables, a reliable clean-energy source that never shuts off would fill a real gap.
The project is formally titled the Newberry SHR Demonstration Project, and it has received federal backing. The U.S. Department of Energy issued a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act for the project’s early phases, a procedural step that signals DOE involvement and clears initial regulatory hurdles without requiring a full environmental impact statement.
Earthquake Risks and Real-Time Monitoring
Any project that injects fluid into volcanic rock at high pressure raises seismic concerns. Hydraulic stimulation can trigger small earthquakes, sometimes called induced seismicity, as fractures open and stress shifts underground. The risk is not hypothetical. EGS projects in other parts of the world, most notably in Basel, Switzerland, have been shut down after causing earthquakes strong enough to alarm nearby residents.
At Newberry, federal scientists are taking the seismic question seriously. The Cascades Volcano Observatory announced that beginning December 22, 2024, Mazama Energy would conduct geothermal exploration work near Newberry and that any increased seismicity would be closely monitored by both the USGS and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. That dual-agency watch means seismic data will be tracked in near-real time, giving regulators the ability to flag unusual activity quickly.
The monitoring arrangement also reflects lessons from the AltaRock-era stimulation. During that earlier four-week injection campaign, operators had to balance the need for high enough pressure to crack rock against the risk of triggering felt earthquakes. The 195 bar maximum wellhead pressure used in that phase was itself a managed limit. Mazama’s new campaign will face similar tradeoffs, but with the added variable of targeting even hotter, deeper rock where stress conditions may differ.
USGS scientists have published broader guidance on induced seismicity and geothermal development, including discussions of how fracture growth and fluid pressure can be managed to reduce risk, in technical circulars such as Circular 1050. While that document predates the Newberry SHR project, it reflects the kind of monitoring and mitigation philosophy now being applied at the volcano.
What 24/7 Geothermal Would Mean for the Grid
The Pacific Northwest already generates substantial hydroelectric power, but climate-driven changes in snowpack and river flows are making that supply less predictable. Wind farms in the Columbia River Gorge and solar installations across Oregon add clean generation, yet they cannot run around the clock. A successful super-hot rock EGS plant would offer something neither hydro, wind, nor solar can guarantee on their own: steady output that does not depend on season, weather, or time of day.
That distinction matters for utilities trying to retire fossil-fuel plants without sacrificing grid reliability. Natural gas “peaker” plants currently fill the gaps when renewables dip, but they burn fuel and emit carbon. If EGS can deliver firm, continuous power from underground heat, it could serve as a direct replacement for those gas plants, cutting emissions without introducing new intermittency problems.
Super-hot rock systems could also reduce the land footprint of clean energy. Because the energy density of supercritical fluids is high, a relatively compact surface facility and well field could produce as much electricity as a much larger solar or wind installation. For communities concerned about land use or visual impacts, a mostly subsurface power plant may be an easier sell than new transmission corridors or sprawling renewable arrays.
Local Context: A Volcano Shared by Tourists and Scientists
Newberry is not just an energy resource; it is also a popular recreation site and a focus of long-term scientific study. Visitors hike its caldera, camp by its lakes, and drive to overlook points with views of central Oregon’s volcanic landscape. Many of those visitors rely on public lands managed by federal agencies, and access is often facilitated through passes available from the USGS online store, which centralizes sales of maps, publications, and entry products.
For people planning trips that include Newberry-area federal lands, annual and lifetime entry options listed under recreation passes can simplify logistics and fees. While the Mazama drilling operations are concentrated on a limited project footprint, any temporary road closures or access restrictions would matter to those same visitors, making clear public communication essential as work proceeds.
Questions about how the geothermal project intersects with recreation, hazards, or land management can be directed to agencies that oversee the area. The USGS maintains an online portal, USGS Answers, where the public can submit queries about volcano monitoring, maps, and related topics. That kind of direct line to scientists and staff may prove useful if residents or visitors notice unusual activity, feel small earthquakes, or simply want to understand what super-hot rock drilling entails.
Balancing Promise, Risk, and Public Trust
Even with careful monitoring, the Newberry SHR Demonstration Project will test how comfortable nearby communities are with experimental energy technology in a volcanic setting. Induced earthquakes, even if too small to cause damage, can erode public confidence if they are unexpected or poorly explained. Conversely, transparent reporting of seismic data, clear thresholds for when operations will pause, and straightforward explanations of what the instruments are seeing can build trust over time.
For Mazama, success will not be measured only in megawatts but also in whether the project can show that super-hot rock EGS can be developed responsibly. That means demonstrating that stimulation can be controlled, that wells can be drilled and operated safely at extreme temperatures, and that any induced seismicity remains within agreed limits. It also means proving that the power produced, if the system reaches the generation stage, is cost-competitive with other clean options.
For federal agencies, Newberry offers a chance to refine how they oversee next-generation geothermal projects. The Department of Energy’s early support, the USGS’s dense network of instruments, and the involvement of regional seismic networks all point to a more integrated approach than past experiments sometimes enjoyed. Lessons learned here (technical, regulatory, and social) are likely to inform how other super-hot rock prospects are evaluated across the western United States.
If the Newberry effort shows that supercritical conditions can be tapped safely and economically, it could mark a turning point for geothermal power, transforming a long-recognized heat resource into a practical tool for decarbonizing the grid. If it falls short, it will still add to the growing body of data on how hot, dry volcanic rocks respond to human intervention. Either way, the experiment unfolding beneath the flanks of Newberry Volcano will help determine whether super-hot rock moves from ambitious concept to a cornerstone of 24/7 clean energy.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
