Unlocking America’s geothermal potential

OPINION:

America is blessed with an abundance of energy resources. The question is whether we have the will to develop them.

Under previous administrations, our nation has accepted an energy policy that leaves American families vulnerable to higher costs and our economy exposed to decisions made overseas. True energy security means producing more of what we need here at home, using American workers, American technology and American resources.

Alaskans understand this better than most.

My home state of Alaska possesses extraordinary reserves of oil and natural gas. Alaska continues to produce more than 400,000 barrels of crude oil each day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Those resources support American jobs, strengthen our economy and reduce our reliance on foreign energy.

We should develop these resources responsibly, but unapologetically.

Alaska’s North Slope, the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the Coastal Plain represent enormous opportunities to strengthen domestic production for decades. At a time of increased global supply constraint, voluntarily leaving American energy in the ground only increases our dependence on countries that do not share our interests.

A baseload energy strategy cannot stop with the resources we have traditionally produced. Energy independence also requires America to innovate and unlock additional domestic resources.

One of the most promising sits right beneath our feet: geothermal energy.

Geothermal is not a replacement for oil and gas. It is another American resource that can complement and strengthen our domestic energy portfolio. Unlike weather-dependent sources, geothermal can provide reliable power around the clock. Advances in drilling and subsurface technologies are also creating the potential to develop geothermal resources in places once considered impractical.

That is an American competitive advantage we should use.

Geothermal also provides something increasingly valuable to our electric grid: dependable power. DOE reports that geothermal plants typically have capacity factors of 90% or higher, meaning they produce electricity around the clock regardless of weather conditions.

Last year, while participating in a geothermal field hearing with my colleagues on the House Natural Resources Committee, I had the opportunity to engage with leaders working on next-generation geothermal development and hear directly from people working in the field about the technological advances, obstacles and opportunities facing this emerging American industry.

Policymakers should spend more time listening to the people who produce America’s energy. What I have heard reinforces a basic point: America has tremendous geothermal potential, but barriers remain between technological promise and commercial-scale power generation.

That is why I introduced the bipartisan Geo POWER Act.

The Geo POWER Act would establish a milestone-based demonstration program at the Department of Energy to accelerate next-generation geothermal projects in regions with limited existing geothermal generation. Importantly, the bill requires projects to be distributed across at least three states and three different project sponsors, helping ensure that next-generation geothermal technologies are tested in different regions and geologies rather than concentrated where geothermal is already established.

For Alaska, that creates an opportunity to compete as a proving ground for the next generation of geothermal technology. A successful demonstration in Alaska could do more than produce electricity from a single project. It could generate the geological, drilling and performance data needed to determine where these technologies can work elsewhere in the nation.

Alaska has long been one of America’s great energy proving grounds. We have the resources, the workforce and generations of expertise operating in some of the most challenging conditions anywhere in the world. As new geothermal technologies mature, we should ensure Alaska can leverage that experience to develop an even greater portion of this abundant energy resource.

Notably, geothermal is particularly suited for bipartisan cooperation.

That is one reason I am proud to serve as a founding co-chair of the newly formed Congressional Geothermal Caucus. We are bringing together members of Congress from across the country and across the political spectrum who recognize the opportunity geothermal presents and are committed to elevating geothermal in the national energy conversation.

Energy should not be reduced to a choice between traditional resources and emerging technologies. America needs both.

We need Alaska oil and natural gas. We need nuclear and hydropower. We need coal. We need next-generation technologies. And we should unlock the geothermal resources beneath American soil. Our competitors are not waiting for us to resolve ideological debates about which energy sources deserve to exist. They are securing resources, building infrastructure and planning for decades of growing demand.

America must do the same.

Reliable domestic energy, robust supply chains and a strong manufacturing base are all parts of the same national security imperative: America must retain the ability to produce what America needs.

The resources are here. Technology is advancing. Now Congress must create the conditions for American energy producers and innovators to put those resources and technology to work.

• Rep. Nick Begich was sworn into Congress on Jan. 3, 2025. Nick’s goal in Congress is to make sure Alaskans succeed. He is a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, where he serves as vice chair of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee.