Microsoft founder Bill Gates has backed geothermal technology through Breakthrough Energy, and his Gates Notes has recently highlighted Fervo Energy's effort to generate power from heat deep underground. Fervo has now secured a deal to supply nearly 400 MW of geothermal power to Google, with deliveries planned from 2028. According to Gates Notes, Bill Gates is backing a geothermal project in Utah that is trying to turn extreme heat deep beneath the Earth into a new source of round-the-clock electricity. The project, called Cape Station, is being developed by Fervo Energy, a geothermal company backed by Gates’ Breakthrough Energy. Gates visited the site and has described the power source as being about 15,000 feet below ground.
“Geothermal power will have a big role to play in our clean energy future,” Gates stated, emphasizing the potential of Fervo’s technology to provide reliable and affordable clean energy. Cape Station is projected to deliver up to 400 MW of power, with initial production of 70 megawatts slated for 2026 and full capacity expected by 2028. The project has secured power purchase agreements to supply electricity to approximately 350,000 homes in Southern California.
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Unlike traditional geothermal plants, which depend on naturally occurring underground reservoirs, Fervo is using enhanced geothermal systems. The company drills deep wells into hot rock and creates pathways that allow water to circulate through the heated rock. The hot water can then be brought back to the surface and used to generate electricity. The approach borrows heavily from technology developed by the oil and gas industry, including deep and horizontal drilling. Fervo has already demonstrated the technology at its Nevada pilot project, which began operating in 2023.
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"The science behind geothermal energy is pretty simple. The interior of the Earth is incredibly hot, and the deeper you go, the hotter the ground becomes. If you pump fluid deep enough to be warmed by this heat and then pump it back to the surface, you can turn the hot liquid into steam and use it to spin turbines and generate electricity—just like many other types of power plants," according to Gates Notes. "It’s a truly innovative approach, and I am glad that it is being deployed here in the United States," Bill Gates said.
