Utah FORGE

What Utah FORGE does

Utah FORGE (Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy) is a dedicated underground field laboratory for developing, testing, and de-risking Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technologies. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by the Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah, the facility is located on state-leased land near Milford, Utah, and targets hot crystalline granite at approximately 8,000 feet depth between two deep directionally drilled wells. It is described as the world's only full-scale dedicated EGS field laboratory.

The technical scope includes hydraulic stimulation, highly deviated (65°) well drilling in granitoid rock, real-time seismic monitoring using downhole geophones, distributed acoustic sensing, and surface nodal arrays, plus 3D earth and reservoir modeling using WSP's FracMan and Seequent's Leapfrog Geothermal. Notable demonstrated capabilities include a three-stage hydraulic stimulation of injection well 16A(78)-32 at depths exceeding 10,000 feet with injection rates of 35-50 bpm and pressures above 7,000 psi, followed by an extended circulation test in April 2024 that the project characterizes as commercial-scale reservoir creation. Six wells have been drilled to date, and all data, models, and findings are shared openly.

Utah FORGE operates as a publicly funded research initiative rather than a commercial entity. Funding flows from DOE grants — a $140M award in June 2018 and a $44M extension in October 2024 running through 2028 — administered through EGI and the University of Utah. The project serves academic researchers, national laboratories, oilfield service firms (Schlumberger, Halliburton/Pinnacle), and commercial geothermal developers seeking to validate EGS technologies. It distributes outcomes via open data repositories, scientific publications, annual R&D workshops, and R&D solicitation subawards, and conducts K-12 and public outreach through lesson plans, webinars, podcasts, and a virtual visitor center.

Name

Utah FORGE

Legal name

Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (Utah FORGE)

Website

https://utahforge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Utah FORGE is a U.S. Department of Energy–funded underground field laboratory, managed by the University of Utah's Energy & Geoscience Institute, that develops and tests Enhanced Geothermal Systems technologies in hot crystalline granite near Milford, Utah for academic, national lab, and commercial geothermal partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geothermal Research Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Support Activities for Mining (2131)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Enhanced/Advanced Geothermal R&D (EGS, Closed-Loop, Superhot Rock, Drilling Tech) (EUAMAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geothermal Drilling & Well Construction (Production/Injection, Directional, Well Services) (EUAMAEAB), Well Completions & Stimulation (Hydraulic Fracturing, Sand Control) (EUALAAAE)

Keywords

• Enhanced geothermal systems
• Geothermal research laboratory
• Reservoir stimulation research
• Subsurface energy research
• Hot dry rock drilling

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Utah FORGE is a DOE-funded research project. The project received a $140M grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the geothermal laboratory and conduct EGS research. An extension agreement was signed in October 2024 to continue the project through 2028.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Utah FORGE operates the world's only full-scale dedicated underground field laboratory for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) research, comprising a large volume of hot crystalline granite between two deep directionally drilled wells at approximately 8,000 feet depth near Milford, Utah. It provides researchers, universities, national laboratories, and geothermal developers with open access to well data, real-time seismic monitoring, 3D earth modeling, and an R&D solicitation program to test and de-risk drilling, stimulation, and reservoir-creation technologies. The facility is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by the Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah.

Product overview

Utah FORGE is a dedicated underground field laboratory sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) and managed by the Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah. It is the world's only full-scale field laboratory for advancing Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technologies. The facility comprises an underground laboratory at approximately 8000 feet depth in hot crystalline granite, supported by on-site infrastructure including water, power, offices, and broadband internet. Core offerings include the underground field laboratory for drilling and stimulation experiments, a Data Dashboard for project and well data access, a 3D Earth Model Viewer for geological visualization, an ArcGIS Interactive Map, and a Virtual Visitor Center for public engagement. Educational offerings encompass Teacher Resources with lesson plans aligned to science standards, Scientific Publications for research dissemination, and Seismic Monitoring Infrastructure for detecting microseismic events. The project operates as a research initiative rather than a commercial product, with all data and tools made publicly available to advance the geothermal research community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Underground Field Laboratory A dedicated underground field laboratory near Milford, Utah, comprising a large volume of hot crystalline granite at approximately 8,000 feet depth between two deep directionally drilled wells. Used by researchers, universities, national laboratories, and geothermal developers to develop, test, and de-risk Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technologies.
• Data Dashboard An online data platform providing access to project and well data categorized by Utah FORGE functional areas, including R&D data, well data, and an interactive geoscience map visualization. Built for the open-access research community.
• 3D Earth Model Viewer A comprehensive 3D visualization tool built with Seequent's Leapfrog Geothermal software to display the Milford Site and surrounding geological area, used for spatial analysis of native state pressure, temperature, and stress conditions.
• Virtual Visitor Center A virtual tour application available on iOS, Android, and the web that allows users to explore the Utah FORGE site and surrounding Milford valley with 360-degree views and videos. Intended for students, educators, and the general public.
• Teacher Resources and Lesson Plans K-12 educational materials including lesson plans, class visits, learning modules, animations, and K-12 geoscience webinars aligned with Utah SEEd standards, developed in collaboration with the University of Utah College of Education.
• DOE R&D Solicitation Program A DOE-funded sub-project solicitation program (Solicitations 2020-1 and 2022-2) that awards research funding of up to $44 million to external teams to advance specific EGS R&D topics at the Utah FORGE facility.
• Seismic Monitoring Infrastructure An advanced seismic monitoring network comprising permanently installed downhole geophones, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) cables, and surface high-density nodal arrays used to detect microseismic events during stimulation experiments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully completed three-stage hydraulic stimulation of well 16A(78)-32 at depths exceeding 10,000 feet with injection rates of 35-50 bpm and pressures exceeding 7,000 psi
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Energy & Geoscience Institute at University of UtahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEGI manages the Utah FORGE project and provides research leadership. The institute brings expertise in geothermal research and subsurface technology development.
• University of UtahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution providing academic infrastructure, research personnel, and institutional resources for the FORGE project.
• WSPmajorTechnology or IntegrationWSP contributes FracMan software to analyze data from deep reservoir wells, developing models of natural fractures and stimulated flow pathways. Models predict reservoir response to hydraulic fracturing and simulate long-term thermal response.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational laboratory partner contributing technical expertise and research capabilities to the FORGE initiative.
• Los Alamos National LaboratorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational laboratory partner providing research capabilities for geothermal systems development.
• Idaho National LaboratorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational laboratory partner contributing expertise to FORGE research efforts.
• University of OklahomamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through Professor Ahmad Ghassemi leading the Reservoir Geomechanics and Seismicity Research Group investigating reservoir geomechanics in geothermal systems.
• University of New MexicominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to FORGE research collaboration.
• University of Wisconsin - MadisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to FORGE research collaboration.
• SchlumbergermajorTechnology or IntegrationTechnology provider contributing expertise in seismic monitoring, including multi-level geophone strings for stimulation experiments.
• Halliburton / PinnaclemajorTechnology or IntegrationIndustry partner providing well services and technology for drilling and stimulation operations.
• Cyrq EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeothermal developer partner active in Utah and Nevada.
• Rocky Mountain PowerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtility partner contributing to regional energy infrastructure and geothermal development.
• Utah Trust Lands AdministrationcoreOthersProvides state land lease for the Utah FORGE research site near Milford, Utah.
• Bureau of Land ManagementminorOthersFederal agency managing public lands relevant to the FORGE project area.
• Utah Department of Natural ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner providing geological survey data and ArcGIS interactive mapping capabilities.
• Governor\'s Office of Energy DevelopmentminorOthersUtah state agency supporting energy development initiatives including geothermal.
• Geothermal Resource GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner contributing geothermal expertise.
• SeequentTechnology or IntegrationTechnology provider for geoscience modeling software (Leapfrog Geothermal).
• SWCA Environmental ConsultantsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEnvironmental consulting services for project permitting and compliance.
• Beaver CountyminorOthersLocal county where the FORGE research site is located.
• Enel / Enel Green PowermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClean energy company sponsoring educational outreach including geothermal song parody contests and poster contests. Provided prizes for student competitions and hosted field trips to Cove Fort geothermal plant.
• University of Utah College of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloping lesson plans incorporating geothermal energy aligned with Utah SEEd standards, including hands-on heat conduction experiments and virtual activities for K-12 students.
• University of Utah Department of CommunicationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on public awareness research including surveying individuals about geothermal energy awareness, knowledge, and opinions across 11 western states.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ormat Technologies: Established geothermal power equipment supplier and IPP with a global portfolio of conventional geothermal plants. A broad incumbent in the geothermal industry whose technology stack and project economics Utah FORGE's research could ultimately support.

Direct peers

• AltaRock Energy: Early-stage EGS developer pursuing enhanced geothermal reservoirs in the western U.S. (notably at The Geysers and Newberry). Direct peer working on similar stimulation and reservoir engineering challenges being researched at Utah FORGE.
• Fervo Energy: Commercial EGS developer using horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing to develop enhanced geothermal reservoirs. Most directly comparable to Utah FORGE as it operationalizes the same EGS techniques that Utah FORGE is testing at field scale.
• Eavor Technologies: Closed-loop geothermal developer with commercial demonstration projects (e.g., Eavor-Deep in Canada). A peer in advancing next-generation geothermal technology beyond conventional hydrothermal, addressing similar reservoir creation challenges to Utah FORGE's EGS approach.

Emerging players

• GreenFire Energy: Closed-loop geothermal startup developing supercritical and advanced geothermal systems. An emerging peer pursuing adjacent advanced geothermal approaches that could benefit from Utah FORGE's open dataset on hot dry rock reservoirs.
• NEXT Group: Closed-loop geothermal developer pursuing advanced geothermal systems in Nevada and internationally. Emerging player in next-generation geothermal technology with overlapping research interests to Utah FORGE's EGS mission.

Regional players

• Cyrq Energy: Geothermal power developer with operational assets in Utah and Nevada (and a Utah FORGE partner). Operates the Cove Fort plant visited on Utah FORGE field trips, making it a direct regional peer in the same Basin-and-Range geology.

Others

• Idaho National Laboratory: DOE national laboratory partner to Utah FORGE with a geothermal research program of its own. Functions as both an enabling partner and a parallel federally-funded research entity advancing subsurface and geothermal science.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): DOE national laboratory partner to Utah FORGE with an extensive geothermal research portfolio. Functions as an enabling R&D partner and broader institutional peer in federally-funded geothermal science.
• Geothermal Resource Group: Geothermal services and operations provider with deep expertise in plant operations and reservoir management. A supporting services peer and Utah FORGE partner involved in operational aspects of geothermal energy development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/utahforge
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@forgeutah7399/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/utahforge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/utah-forge
• Instagraminstagram.com/utahforgegeothermal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Utah FORGE