Industry-led Geothermal Energy Alliance launched in Texas

The newly-organized Texas Geothermal Energy Alliance (TxGEA), a Texas-led advocacy group created to advance geothermal energy in Texas, officially launched operations, as announced in a release to ThinkGeoEnergy today.

TxGEA is a broad and interdisciplinary group of entities engaged in geothermal resource exploration, well drilling, plant construction, resource production, and markets creation. TxGEA includes representatives from the oilfield service sector, oil & gas operators, utilities, start-up companies working to advance geothermal relevant technologies, scientists and engineers from several Texas universities, and leading environmental organizations advocating Texas public policy solutions.

The Texas energy sector has benefitted tremendously from a diversified energy portfolio that has included oil, natural gas, wind, solar, coal, and nuclear power. In addition to these resources, Texas has the opportunity to develop undeveloped geothermal resources in the near-term to decarbonize residential and industrial heating and cooling and produce reliable and secure baseload electricity.

Barry Smitherman, a past chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and a past chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, is guiding the formation of TxGEA. Smitherman added, “The rise of geothermal energy is coming at a pivotal time in Texas. The technological advances, coupled with energy market incentives and a supportive legislative and regulatory framework, will unleash tremendous geothermal energy potential, as well as position Texas as the global epicenter of next-generation geothermal innovation.”

Jamie Beard, executive director of the Geothermal Entrepreneurship Organization (GEO) at the University of Texas at Austin, said, “Paradigm shifting technology advancements within the oil and gas industry over the past decade, along with a significant increase in the number of oil and gas professionals engaged in geothermal ventures today have enabled a new realm of possibilities to advance scalable geothermal concepts.”