JP-40 Asia Pacific Updated 2026-08-20

Japan (Kyushu) Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 42.2% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Japan (Kyushu).

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
42.2%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
2.2 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Commercial EGS
275.3 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
54.8 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area High Accessibility
90%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
16.2 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 12.3% 30.4% 44.5% 58.6% 85.2% 100%
175°C 9.1% 24.1% 39.7% 50.8% 62.1% 90.8%
200°C 8.2% 19.4% 32.7% 44% 62.9% 62.9%
225°C 7.9% 16.4% 25.6% 36.7% 45.2% 50%
250°C 6.6% 12.2% 18.8% 25.6% 34% 39.2%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
36 782 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
15 522 km² 42.2%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
13 970 km² 38%
4 ...and within 100 km town
11 752 km² 35.2%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 5.1 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 2.9 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 183.6 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 249.2 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.4 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 26.6%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 89.2%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 138.6 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 36 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 82.1 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 14.8 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 8 566 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 75.2%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 90%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 99.5%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 10.3 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 30
Total Urban Population 5.4 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 70.3%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 67.5% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 76% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Japan (Kyushu) across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Japan (Kyushu) Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
2.2 km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 83th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
275.3 °C Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 70th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
42.2% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 70th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
16.2 ZJ Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 38th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
54.8 °C/km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 78th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
90% Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 90th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
89.2% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 89th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
14.8 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 67th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
36 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 35th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.1 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 47th percentile
Urban demand colocation
72.8% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 66th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Japan (Kyushu)

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Japan (Kyushu) indicates volcanic_arc geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 42.2% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

Thermal inversion across Japan (Kyushu) shows consistent model convergence with constrained standard deviations across deep crustal layers.

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 90% 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 0.4 km and crustal thickness of 36 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 16.2 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Japan (Kyushu) 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 Japan (Kyushu) is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 409 model cells (land area: 36 782 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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