Engineers linked two deep wells through 629°F rock beneath Oregon’s Newberry volcano; the experiment could unlock round-the-clock power without burning fuel

Mazama Energy connected two deep wells through 629°F (331°C) rock beneath Oregon's Newberry Volcano, creating the hottest enhanced geothermal system ever built.

The system circulates water down an injector well, through fractured hot rock, and back up a producer well, with the two wells aligned within six feet of the planned trajectory.

Mazama plans to drill three more wells at Newberry in 2026, targeting rock hotter than 400°C, which could improve the economics of geothermal power.

The project uses Mazama's Thermal Lattice stimulation method, along with tracers, fiber-optic lines, and fracturing fluids, to map and maintain the reservoir.

The success at Newberry suggests that deep superhot rock in the U.S. may be able to provide reliable, clean power, potentially increasing geothermal's role in the energy mix.