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DOE Names NLR Home for Geothermal Center of Excellence
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office announced on 3 September 2026 that it has established a Geothermal Center of Excellence on the National Laboratory of the Rockies’ South Table Mountain Campus in Golden, Colorado. Led by the National Laboratory of the Rockies and enabled by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the centre will marshal national-lab expertise and industry input to accelerate deployment of geothermal power in the western United States. The centre’s stated mission is to coordinate lab research, industry partnerships and academic collaboration to make measurable progress toward U.S. geothermal power at scale.
We are excited to partner with NETL and collaborate with our national laboratory colleagues to integrate and focus DOE’s geothermal capabilities and expertise to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy in the U.S.
Jud Virden, NLR laboratory director
Key takeaways
- Launch date and location: The DOE announced the Geothermal Center of Excellence on 3 September 2026 at NLR’s South Table Mountain Campus in Golden, Colorado.
- Lead institutions: The centre is led by the National Laboratory of the Rockies and enabled by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).
- National-lab support: Argonne, Brookhaven, Idaho, Los Alamos, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest and Sandia national laboratories will also support the centre.
- Advisory input: An industry advisory board will provide insight on research needs and accelerate industry–laboratory partnerships, the announcement said.
Table of contents
Why NLR’s South Table Mountain campus was chosen
The site choice places the Geothermal Center of Excellence close to many of the western United States’ highest-potential geothermal resources. The announcement emphasised geography: Golden, Colorado positions the centre within reach of western basins and research networks that can convert lab work into field trials and commercial projects.
DOE Under Secretary for Energy Kyle Haustveit said, “America has vast geothermal resources beneath our feet that can deliver reliable, around-the-clock energy and strengthen our energy independence.” That line frames the centre’s rationale: the goal is to convert subsurface resource potential into dispatchable electricity using national-lab science and industry know-how.
Locating the centre at a national-lab campus is intended to ease project development by concentrating modelling, reservoir science and testing facilities. The announcement named NETL as the enabling laboratory and listed nine additional labs to provide technical depth, from reservoir engineering to materials testing.
Partners, governance and the industry advisory board
The centre’s governance model, as described in the announcement, pairs NLR leadership with NETL support and input from a broad national-lab cohort. In addition to NLR and NETL, the announcement lists Argonne, Brookhaven, Idaho, Los Alamos, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest and Sandia national laboratories as contributors.
An industry advisory board is expected to guide research priorities and accelerate lab–industry partnerships. Amanda Kolker, NLR geothermal and geosciences laboratory program manager, said the board will help focus research on areas that most impact geothermal expansion and bring stakeholders together to pursue ambitious deployment goals.
The statement and pictured attendees also included representatives from Ormat Technologies and Fervo Energy, signalling early industry engagement. The announcement did not specify advisory-board membership, budget or decision-making procedures; those details remain to be confirmed by the centre or DOE.
What the centre aims to deliver and immediate priorities
The centre’s mission is described as accelerating deployment of geothermal energy through collaboration, research, and innovation, and to ‘‘make measurable progress toward U.S. geothermal power at scale.’’ The announcement framed that work around integrating DOE’s geothermal capabilities with industry and academia.
Practical priorities implied by the launch include coordinating lab capabilities across reservoir science, materials and drilling technology, and convening stakeholders to identify the most impactful research gaps. Jud Virden, NLR laboratory director, said the centre "creates a national hub for efficient collaboration with industry and academia."
HGEO said it has established four centres of excellence — one of which is focused on geothermal — to strengthen coordination among federal national laboratories and external partners. The office described the announcement as an initial step and did not release the centre’s inaugural research agenda, staffing plans or funding allocations.
| Entity | Role mentioned |
|---|---|
| National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) | Lead host |
| National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) | Enabler |
| Argonne, Brookhaven, Idaho, Los Alamos, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, Sandia | Supporting national laboratories |
| Industry advisory board | Advisory input on research priorities |
Case for and against rapid impact
The case for
- Concentrating national-lab capabilities at a single campus could reduce duplication and speed translation of research into field pilots because NLR and NETL can coordinate testing and modelling across disciplines.
- Early industry engagement—illustrated by participation from Ormat Technologies and Fervo Energy—should help align research with commercial deployment needs and accelerate uptake of successful technologies.
The case against
- The announcement provided no budget, staffing or timeline details, which could delay measurable progress if funding and governance are not resolved quickly.
- Coordination across ten national laboratories and an industry advisory board adds complexity; without clear decision-making procedures the process risks slow consensus-building rather than rapid project delivery.
What to be careful about
- No budget or staffing details were published in the announcement, creating execution risk if funding does not follow the stated intent.
- Ambiguity over governance and advisory-board membership could slow decisions and delay research-to-field timelines.
- Scaling lab research into commercial geothermal projects requires field trials; permitting and subsurface uncertainty remain practical obstacles to rapid deployment.
The bottom line
The Geothermal Center of Excellence places DOE’s laboratory expertise under a single coordinating roof at NLR’s South Table Mountain Campus with NETL as an enabler and a broad group of national laboratories pledged to contribute. The announcement sets out a clear collaborative intent—industry advisory input, cross-lab technical depth and a location close to western resource basins—but stopped short of funding, staffing and timeline details. Those missing items will determine whether the centre becomes a fast conduit for commercial pilots or an unwieldy coordination forum; confirming them should be the next step for stakeholders and reporters alike.
What to watch
- Watch for publication of the centre’s first research agenda; no date has been set.
- Watch for announcements of industry advisory board membership and charter; no date has been set.
- Watch for the centre’s first coordinated lab-to-field pilot and its location; no date has been set.
Frequently asked questions
Who announced the Geothermal Center of Excellence?
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office announced the centre on 3 September 2026.
Which institutions will lead and support the centre?
The centre is led by the National Laboratory of the Rockies and enabled by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), with support from Argonne, Brookhaven, Idaho, Los Alamos, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest and Sandia national laboratories.
What role will industry play?
An industry advisory board will advise on research priorities and accelerate partnerships; the announcement cited engagement from Ormat Technologies and Fervo Energy but did not list full board membership.
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