CM Africa Updated 2026-08-20

Cameroon Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 40.6% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Cameroon.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
40.6%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
2.5 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
336.4 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
48.1 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area Moderate Distance
76.5%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
258.4 ZJ

Thermal volume in place (>80°C baseline)

Depth vs. Temperature Matrix (% Land Area)

Proportion of national territory exceeding target isotherm at specified depth

0.1° Inversion Grid
Isotherm 3.0 km 4.0 km 5.0 km 6.0 km 7.0 km 8.0 km
150°C 13.5% 31% 53.1% 78.2% 99% 100%
175°C 12.3% 36.7% 49.6% 78.5% 85.5% 100%
200°C 13.7% 25.2% 49.2% 63.3% 80.8% 93.7%
225°C 13.1% 25.1% 41.4% 47.4% 64.3% 87.1%
250°C 11.2% 19.8% 35.1% 44.1% 53.1% 64.5%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

Progressive screening from gross national territory down to grid-connected & populated prospective zones

1 Whole country
475 442 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
193 029 km² 40.6%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
147 667 km² 31.1%
4 ...and within 100 km town
135 825 km² 28.2%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 5 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 3.5 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 234.1 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 313.4 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.3 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 19.5%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 85.1%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 131.5 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 46.1 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 128.3 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 15.4 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±1.1 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 23 557 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 66.7%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 76.5%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 82.7%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 32.2 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 181
Total Urban Population 28.3 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 31.3%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 65% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 73.1% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Cameroon across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Cameroon Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
2.5 km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 79th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
336.4 °C Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 95th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
40.6% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 68th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
258.4 ZJ Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 75th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
48.1 °C/km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 69th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
76.5% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 76th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
85.1% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 85th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
15.4 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 66th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
46.1 km Lower 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 17th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.2 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 46th percentile
Urban demand colocation
63.6% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 70th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Cameroon

Subsurface thermal interpretation, model uncertainty, infrastructure colocation, and resource quality analysis

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Cameroon indicates volcanic_arc geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 40.6% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

Thermal inversion across Cameroon shows consistent model convergence with constrained standard deviations across deep crustal layers.

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 76.5% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by volcanic arc dynamics with median sediment thickness of 0.3 km and crustal thickness of 46.1 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 258.4 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Cameroon demonstrates competitive positioning across heat flow, infrastructure, and basement competence indicators.

Target Sensitivity Analysis

Screening at 150°C baseline at 5.5 km increases prospective territory, demonstrating substantial deep EGS resource headroom.

Screening Methodology, Parameters & Limitations

This screening assessment for Cameroon is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 5 283 model cells (land area: 475 442 km²). Baseline prospective criterion is defined as reaching 185°C at or above 5.5 km depth with surface temperature normalized to 15°C.

  • Screening estimates represent regional-scale heat in place and do not replace localized 3D seismic or exploratory drilling.
  • Model uncertainties expand in regions with sparse deep boreholes and complex thrust fault kinematics.
  • Grid proximity indicators reflect line-of-sight distance to high-voltage transmission and do not account for local substation thermal capacity.
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