Utah FORGE (Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy) is the world’s only full-scale field laboratory for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technologies. Managed by the University of Utah and funded by the Department of Energy (DOE), the project strives to advance the technologies and de-risk the tools necessary to make EGS commercially viable.

Beginning in 2016, the Utah FORGE has drilled an injection and production well several thousand feet deep to inject water, hydraulically fracture the hot rock, and then produce the hot water back to the surface. Several seismic monitoring wells have also been drilled.

The project’s research supports development work from academia and private companies for commercial power production.  Feasibility studies show nearly 2 GW of continuous geothermal power production availability in the areas surrounding the site FORGE.  Positive results in 2024 have led to continued DOE support through 2028.

https://utahforge.com/

Presenters: Dr. Joseph N. Moore

Dr. Joseph Moore currently serves as the Managing Principal Investigator of the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) project, a field-scale laboratory for developing, testing and de-risking the necessary tools and technologies for EGS development. He received his M.S and Ph.D. degrees in Geology from the Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Moore joined the University of Utah Research Institute (now the Energy & Geoscience Institute) where he focuses on geothermal energy. He also holds appointments as a Research Professor in the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering and as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah.