JERA invests in Quaise Energy to support superhot geothermal technology

Companies will explore deploying the technology in Japan.

JERA Co., Inc. has invested in Houston-based Quaise Energy through its corporate venture capital arm, JERA Ventures, to support the development of next-generation superhot geothermal technology.

The investment will help fund Quaise's first commercial geothermal power plant, Project Obsidian, in Oregon. The companies will also explore opportunities to commercialise the technology in Japan.

Quaise's millimeter wave drilling technology, developed from research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is designed to reach geothermal resources with temperatures of 300°C to 500°C at depths beyond the reach of conventional drilling methods.

JERA said the technology could expand geothermal power generation by making deep geothermal resources more accessible. It added that the technology could help Japan tap its large geothermal potential whilst strengthening domestic energy supply and energy security.

The company aims to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 through renewable energy expansion and lower-carbon thermal power generation.

Through JERA Ventures, the company has also invested in electrolysers, lithium iron phosphate batteries, and nuclear fusion technologies.