HR 8790: Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act

HR 8790 in plain English: This bill directs the Department of Energy to support research, development, and demonstration of next-generation geothermal energy systems, including closed-loop and supercritical geothermal technologies. It establishes new grant programs, expands existing research sites, creates a center of excellence, and authorizes $150,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

Stated purpose

The bill directs the Department of Energy to support research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of next-generation geothermal energy systems, including closed-loop and supercritical geothermal technologies, and to expand publicly available data on subsurface geology to advance geothermal energy development.

Key points

• Authorizes $150,000,000 per year from 2027 through 2031 for next-generation geothermal research and development.
• Requires DOE to run a research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program for next-generation geothermal systems.
• Requires at least one FORGE field research site to be equipped for next-generation geothermal testing.
• Provides grants to establish a next-generation geothermal systems center of excellence.
• Expands DOE's public geothermal data repository to include subsurface data from fossil fuel and mining operations.

Arguments supporters make

• Geothermal energy can produce power around the clock regardless of weather, and investing in next-generation systems could give the U.S. a reliable, homegrown clean energy source that reduces dependence on foreign fuels.
• Pooling subsurface data from oil, gas, and mining operations into a public repository avoids duplicating expensive drilling work and helps researchers and companies find the best geothermal sites faster and at lower cost.
• Expanding geothermal research creates high-skill jobs and positions American companies at the front of an emerging energy technology that other countries are also racing to develop.

Arguments opponents make

• The bill authorizes new federal spending on grants and drilling programs without specifying funding caps, raising concerns about cost to taxpayers for technologies that may not yet be commercially viable.
• Directing DOE to manage a broader data-sharing system and enter memoranda of understanding with multiple federal agencies adds bureaucratic complexity that could slow rather than speed up energy development.
• Critics may argue that federal dollars would be better spent scaling up already-proven renewable technologies rather than funding early-stage geothermal research whose commercial payoff remains uncertain.

Tradeoffs

Federal investment in early-stage geothermal research and data infrastructure could accelerate a promising clean energy technology, but it requires public spending now on programs whose commercial benefits may be distant or uncertain, potentially diverting resources from more immediately deployable energy solutions.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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