Quaise CEO urges $410 million to scale "superhot" geothermal drilling as a U.S. baseload option
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Summary
Quaise Energy's president told the House Science subcommittee that millimeter-wave drilling can unlock "superhot" geothermal across the U.S., and urged a $410 million FY2027 federal investment to accelerate utility-scale demonstrations and a gigawatt-scale blueprint project in Oregon.
Carlos Arranque, president and chief executive officer of Quaise Energy, told the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy that a millimeter-wave drilling system using a gyrotron can access "superhot" rock and enable gigawatt-scale geothermal power nationwide.
"Where drilling stops, Quaise begins," Arranque testified, saying the technology turns rock into dust and avoids the wear-and-tear of conventional bits. He said the approach could produce "up to 10 times more power per well than conventional geothermal systems" and deliver baseload output with economics comparable to gas, coal and nuclear without fuel dependencies.
The witness described active field tests (including a recent 400-foot drilling run into granite), an under-construction demonstration project in Central Oregon called Project Obsidian, and a timeline that expects flow tests in multiple U.S. regions. Arranque recommended "$410,000,000 in fiscal year 2027 for the geothermal office to accelerate utility-scale demonstrations and deployment of gigawatt-scale super hot geothermal systems." He cited a DOE estimate that 90 to 300 gigawatts of geothermal power is possible by 2050 and argued that going hotter and deeper could expand that potential further.
In response to committee questions, Arranque said Quaise is making its technology compatible with existing oil-and-gas rigs and training drill operators through on-site integration with major drilling firms. He characterized the company's goal as "flattening the cost curve," arguing that conventional per-meter drilling costs can rise quickly at extreme depths and that millimeter-wave drilling aims to keep costs steady across depth.
Committee members pressed witnesses about climate- and site-specific operations; Joel Edwards of Zanskar and other witnesses noted heat-rejection and condenser choices vary by climate and that wet cooling may be used in high-humidity regions. Edwards explained that geothermal plants must reject waste heat via condensers and that condenser performance affects output, while also noting design choices can adapt to local humidity.
The hearing record includes no formal appropriations action; Arranque's funding recommendation was offered as testimony to inform congressional deliberations. Chairman Weber left the record open for 10 days for additional comments and written questions.
The subcommittee did not take a vote on funding during the hearing; next procedural steps were not specified during the session.
