Fervo begins selling electricity from Cape Station — TechCrunch

Fervo Energy began selling electricity from the Cape Station geothermal power plant to the grid on September 30 — one day ahead of schedule. TechCrunch reports.

The power plant synchronized with the grid about a week before commercial deliveries began. The first third of the facility, which is expected to reach a capacity of 100 megawatts, has now been commissioned. Fervo previously told TechCrunch that the entire site could potentially generate up to 4 gigawatts of electricity.

First commercial stage

According to the company, Fervo became the first company in the enhanced geothermal energy sector to reach such a commercial milestone. Twenty-three months passed from the start of construction to the commercial commissioning of the first Cape Station unit.

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Fervo co-founder and CEO Tim Latimer said that the team completed the project ahead of schedule. The company also plans to reduce the implementation time for subsequent units to 18 months as it improves its process.

Electricity buyers and technology

Google, Southern California Edison, and other companies have already committed to purchasing electricity from the Cape Station project. TechCrunch notes that geothermal facilities can be developed in stages, matching the model of gradually commissioning data centers as demand grows.

Unlike traditional geothermal generation, which uses heat sources closer to the surface, Fervo and other companies in this field drill deeper into hotter rock. Fervo was founded in 2017; the company uses technologies and drilling methods from the oil and gas sector to develop geothermal resources. In May, it held an IPO, raising $1.9 billion.