Co-founder of Quaise Energy describes work to that end during keynote at World Geothermal Congress
Elizabeth A. Thomson Correspondent
Geothermal energy—the clean, renewable heat beneath our feet—has the potential to become the backbone of the world’s energy system on the same scale as oil and gas today, said Matthew Houde, Co-Founder and Chief of Staff at Quaise Energy, during a keynote address at the recent World Geothermal Congress (WGC).
The WGC is the leading global event dedicated to geothermal energy.
Houde went on to describe how Quaise is working to unlock that potential by tapping into the superhot rock that can currently only be accessed in Iceland and other areas where such temperatures are relatively close to the surface.
The number one problem today: we can’t drill down far enough. The drills used by the oil and gas industries can’t withstand the formidable conditions that are found miles down. “Drilling 10 to 20 kilometers [~ 6 to 12 miles] can seem insurmountable in the near term, but I have faith that between the hard work of our team and that of experts in this room—and the global industry at large—we can realize this vision to provide clean, firm, affordable power for everyone,” Houde said.
The 2026 WGC, held for the first time in Canada, attracted some 2,000 attendees from 88 countries. The next WGC, which occurs every three years, will be hosted by Kenya, marking the first time that the event will be held in Africa.
The Quaise Approach
“At Quaise, we’re seeking to reimagine drilling by addressing the challenges of going deeper and hotter,” Houde said.
The company is working to replace the conventional drill bits that mechanically break up the rock with millimeter-wave energy (cousins to the microwaves many of us cook with). Those millimeter waves destroy the rock without mechanical bits to create ever-deeper holes.
The general technique was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology starting in 2008. In the lab, scientists demonstrated that millimeter waves could indeed drill a hole in granite and basalt (rocks representative of the majority of rock at great depth). Further, the gyrotron machine that produces the millimeter wave energy is not new. It’s been used for some 70 years in research toward nuclear fusion as an energy source.
During his WGC keynote talk, Houde noted that “millimeter wave drilling is no longer a science experiment confined in the lab.”
This past year, he continued, “our engineering team successfully deployed the technology to the field in reaching a [record-setting] depth of over 100 meters. We hit commercial targets in depth, speed, and hole size before reaching the limit available to our equipment on site.”
“We’ve also demonstrated the ability to integrate our technology onto an existing drilling rig architecture,” Houde said. The Quaise technique takes advantage of the conventional drilling technologies developed by the oil and gas industry. The company will use these to drill down through surface layers (what they were optimized for) to basement rock (which millimeter waves can easily power through).
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At Quaise, we’re seeking to reimagine drilling by addressing the challenges of going deeper and hotter.—Matthew Houde Co-founder and Chief of Staff
Toward a Superhot Power Plant
Quaise is currently working toward “developing the first commercial superhot geothermal power plant,” Houde said. Project Obsidian, located in Oregon, is well underway. “We’ve built many of the preliminary surface construction on the site, and [in July 2026] we plan to start drilling our first confirmation [test] well.”
“We’re approaching the development of this project in phases to minimize technical risk in the near term while achieving increased learnings and economies of scale in the long term,” Houde continued.
In the first phase, the company aims to bring a 50 megawatt power plant online by 2030. “Following that, we’re planning to expand production using the commercial design we have validated in the first phase.”
Houde recognized that there are a host of technical challenges to address for accessing superhot rock beyond just drilling. “This requires a global effort,” he said. “Thankfully, several international projects are now moving forward for superhot rock in countries like Iceland and New Zealand and Japan, and there are two companies currently operating in the United States (Quaise and Mazama).”
“Importantly, these projects are no longer just proposals. All have plans to drill superhot wells in the next two to three years.”