# Advanced geothermal: Resources and labour

Oilfield rigs, very deep wells and water for fracturing

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/resources/

What this tab covers The natural resources (land, water, materials, fuel or feedstock) and the labour needed to capture this energy, per unit, with the reason each is needed.

The dominant resource is drilling: more and deeper wells, steel casing and cement, plus large volumes of water to fracture enhanced systems. Skills transfer directly from oil and gas.

#### Natural resources

| Resource | How much | Why it is needed |
|---|---|---|
| **Wells** | About 10 wells (6 production, 3 injection) for a 20 MW EGS plant^[9](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2014/02/f7/analysis_wang_lifecycle_analysis.pdf) | Fractured rock yields a limited flow per well, and water must be circulated. |
| **Water for stimulation** | About 71,000 m3 for a 20 MW EGS plant; about 22,400 m3 per average stimulation^[9](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2014/02/f7/analysis_wang_lifecycle_analysis.pdf) | Pressurised water opens fractures in the rock. |
| **Steel and cement** | 332 t steel and 335 t cement in surface pipelines for 20 MW EGS (about 17 t per MW each, calculated), plus well casing^[9](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2014/02/f7/analysis_wang_lifecycle_analysis.pdf) | Pipelines and well linings withstand heat and pressure. |
| **Wellbore length (closed loop)** | About 16 km of continuous wellbore per well pair at Geretsried^[3](https://knowledge.energyinst.org/new-energy-world/article?id=140011) | Conduction is slow, so very long contact with hot rock is needed. |
| **Land** | Cape Station development covers about 631 acres (about 255 ha, calculated)^[7](https://www.power-eng.com/renewables/geothermal/fervo-energy-achieves-first-power-at-flagship-utah-geothermal-project/) | Well pads, plant and pipelines. |

#### Labour

| Phase | How much | Skills | Why it is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Construction and drilling** | Up to 80% of geothermal investment uses capacity and skills that transfer from oil and gas^[8](https://iea.org/news/technology-breakthroughs-are-unlocking-geothermal-energys-vast-potential-in-countries-across-the-globe)^[14](https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/b5b73936-ee21-4e38-843b-8ba7430fbe92/TheFutureofGeothermal.pdf) | Directional drillers, completion and fracturing engineers, reservoir engineers | Horizontal drilling and multi-stage stimulation come from shale oil and gas. |
| **Manufacturing** | 3.3-3.9 person-years per MW (geothermal generally)^[10](https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_376373_5/component/file_376372/Sch%C3%BCtz%20et%20al.%20GEOELEC_Employment%20study.pdf) | Turbine, heat-exchanger and pipe manufacture | Same surface plants as conventional geothermal. |
| **Operation** | 0.36-0.7 jobs per MW (geothermal generally)^[10](https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_376373_5/component/file_376372/Sch%C3%BCtz%20et%20al.%20GEOELEC_Employment%20study.pdf) | Plant operators, reservoir monitoring | Fracture networks and pressures must be watched continuously. |
| **All phases** | Could rise sixfold to about 1 million geothermal jobs by 2030^[8](https://iea.org/news/technology-breakthroughs-are-unlocking-geothermal-energys-vast-potential-in-countries-across-the-globe)^[14](https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/b5b73936-ee21-4e38-843b-8ba7430fbe92/TheFutureofGeothermal.pdf) | Oil and gas workforce | IEA projection with strong growth of next-generation geothermal. |

#### Sources

1. [Innovative geothermal project powers up in Bavaria](https://knowledge.energyinst.org/new-energy-world/article?id=140011) Energy Institute, New Energy World, 2025
2. [Fervo Energy achieves first power at flagship Utah geothermal project](https://www.power-eng.com/renewables/geothermal/fervo-energy-achieves-first-power-at-flagship-utah-geothermal-project/) Power Engineering, 2026
3. [Technology breakthroughs are unlocking geothermal energy's vast potential in countries across the globe (launch of The Future of Geothermal Energy)](https://iea.org/news/technology-breakthroughs-are-unlocking-geothermal-energys-vast-potential-in-countries-across-the-globe) IEA, 2024
4. [Life-Cycle Analysis of Geothermal Technologies (Wang, Clark and Sullivan, Argonne National Laboratory)](https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2014/02/f7/analysis_wang_lifecycle_analysis.pdf) US DOE, 2010
5. [GEOELEC Employment study, Deliverable 5.1 (Schütz et al.)](https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_376373_5/component/file_376372/Sch%C3%BCtz%20et%20al.%20GEOELEC_Employment%20study.pdf) GFZ Potsdam / APPA, 2013
6. [The Future of Geothermal Energy](https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/b5b73936-ee21-4e38-843b-8ba7430fbe92/TheFutureofGeothermal.pdf) IEA, 2024

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/correlation/index.md)
- [Efficiency](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/efficiency/index.md)
- [Techniques](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/techniques/index.md)
- [Impact on the biosphere](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/biosphere/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_adv_geo/links/index.md)