ME Europe Updated 2026-08-20

Montenegro Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 15.1% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Montenegro.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km Moderate
15.1%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Shallow
4.1 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Commercial EGS
220.5 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Elevated
37.1 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area High Accessibility
90.8%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
68.4 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 4% 6.9% 10.8% 16.3% 20.4% 23.1%
175°C 3% 5.2% 8.9% 13.2% 14% 18%
200°C 1.6% 3.7% 7% 8.4% 10.8% 15%
225°C 1.5% 2.6% 4% 5.5% 7.2% 8.2%
250°C 0.6% 1.1% 1.7% 2.4% 3.1% 3.8%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
13 812 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
2 086 km² 15.1%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
1 894 km² 13.7%
4 ...and within 100 km town
1 556 km² 12.8%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 5.9 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 4.9 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 152.9 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 203.1 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 1.6 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 26.3%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 68.4%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 136 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 33.3 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 79.9 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 21.2 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±0.9 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 4 545 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 68.5%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 90.8%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 96.7%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 12.1 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 44
Total Urban Population 5.2 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 61.3%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 24.2% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 27.2% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Montenegro across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Montenegro Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
4.1 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 56th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
220.5 °C Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 48th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
15.1% Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 25th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
68.4 ZJ Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 57th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
37.1 °C/km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 53th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
90.8% Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 91th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
68.4% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 68th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
21.2 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 53th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
33.3 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 40th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.1 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 56th percentile
Urban demand colocation
73.5% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 79th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Montenegro

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Montenegro indicates extensional_basin geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 15.1% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 90.8% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by extensional basin dynamics with median sediment thickness of 1.6 km and crustal thickness of 33.3 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 68.4 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Montenegro 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 Montenegro is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 153 model cells (land area: 13 812 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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