DOE Taps 500,000+ Abandoned Oil Wells for Geothermal Energy

The Department of Energy's Wells of Opportunity funding program converts existing hydrocarbon infrastructure into geothermal assets. The U.S. has 2–3 million disused oil and gas wells; over 500,000 are suitable for geothermal production. Co-production captures heat from active wells or retrofits abandoned ones to generate electricity and provide direct heating. A pilot at Blackburn field targets 1 megawatt output. Oklahoma granted the first state permit for well conversion, establishing regulatory precedent for scaling.