ER Africa Updated 2026-08-20

Eritrea Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 47.3% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Eritrea.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
47.3%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
3 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
293.1 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
62.9 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area Moderate Distance
67.3%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
77.2 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 16% 33.6% 53.5% 68.5% 99% 100%
175°C 15.9% 31% 43.1% 63.9% 92.2% 100%
200°C 13% 27.5% 42.1% 51.2% 68.3% 91.2%
225°C 8.6% 22.8% 34.9% 51.1% 61% 72.4%
250°C 7.2% 15.9% 28.9% 33.9% 51.1% 61%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
117 600 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
55 625 km² 47.3%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
37 436 km² 31.8%
4 ...and within 100 km town
31 492 km² 28.7%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 5.5 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 3.8 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 198.3 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 263.6 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.4 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 31.2%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 95.1%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 139.2 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 27.7 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 82.8 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 11.7 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±1.4 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 13 474 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 52.2%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 67.3%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 77.5%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 26.8 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 95
Total Urban Population 11.9 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 40.9%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 75.7% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 85.1% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Eritrea across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Eritrea Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
3 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 71th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
293.1 °C Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 77th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
47.3% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 79th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
77.2 ZJ Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 59th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
62.9 °C/km Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 90th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
67.3% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 67th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
95.1% Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 95th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
11.7 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 74th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
27.7 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 50th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.3 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 63th percentile
Urban demand colocation
77.2% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 83th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Eritrea

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Eritrea indicates rift_volcanic geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 47.3% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 67.3% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by rift volcanic dynamics with median sediment thickness of 0.4 km and crustal thickness of 27.7 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 77.2 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Eritrea 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 Eritrea is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 1 307 model cells (land area: 117 600 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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