211-3 Opportunities for Conventional and Advanced Geothermal Systems in the Wilcox Group on the Texas Gulf Coast

Session: Geothermal Resources Research

Presenting Author:

Shuvajit Bhattacharya

Authors:

Bhattacharya, Shuvajit¹, Olariu, Iulia², Young, Bissett³, Mawa, Kartik⁴, Arasada, Rama Chandrudu⁵, Eichhubl, Peter⁶

(1) HotRock, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, (2) HotRock, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, (3) HotRock, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, (4) HotRock, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Hilderbrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, (5) HotRock, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, (6) HotRock, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,

Abstract:

Decades of published studies have highlighted the Wilcox Group in onshore Texas as a potential target with extensive play fairways for conventional geothermal development. However, as of 2025, no geothermal power plants are known to be operating in those areas or elsewhere targeting Wilcox on the Gulf Coast. Recent investigations by the Bureau of Economic Geology’s HotRock team underscore the necessity of focusing on deep, hot, dry rocks (HDR) to enable sustained geothermal power generation.

 

We integrate core, well logs, and seismic data to generate structure, thickness, temperature, thermal conductivity, and porosity maps of the Wilcox Group in the area between Houston and Corpus Christi. Multi‑criteria screening of these maps reveals that only a limited number of locations are suitable for deploying conventional geothermal systems capable of megawatt‑scale electricity generation. Nonetheless, these resources may hold potential for co-generation of gas and direct use, such as heating/cooling. The limited suitability of conventional geothermal can be attributed to multiple factors, including low formation temperatures (less than 150  ^oC), variable permeability and brine flow rate, leading to poor heat recovery, insufficient outlet temperature, and thermal power, affecting techno-economic outlook. In contrast, we identify abundant locations for applying advanced technologies, such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), targeting HDR within the deep Wilcox, with temperatures above 150 ^oC. These results suggest that while conventional geothermal systems are unlikely to be broadly commercially viable in the Wilcox Group in the current study area based on today’s technology and economic constraints for power generation, EGS approaches, or other advanced technologies may provide a more scalable pathway for developing the region’s geothermal potential.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-10846

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