MK Europe Updated 2026-08-20

North Macedonia Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 24.8% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in North Macedonia.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km Moderate
24.8%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Shallow
4.4 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Commercial EGS
206.5 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Elevated
42.8 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area High Accessibility
88.9%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
71.4 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 5% 10.5% 15.9% 22.4% 28% 32.5%
175°C 3.5% 6.9% 11.6% 17.5% 21.6% 23.3%
200°C 2.3% 5.2% 9.1% 12.4% 15.5% 18.1%
225°C 1.7% 2.9% 5.1% 6.9% 8.7% 10.1%
250°C 0.3% 0.6% 0.9% 1.4% 1.6% 2.2%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
25 713 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
6 377 km² 24.8%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
5 669 km² 22%
4 ...and within 100 km town
5 097 km² 19.8%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 6.9 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 4.9 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 159.2 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 187.2 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 1.4 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 35.7%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 40.6%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 132.1 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 35.3 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 89.8 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 20.6 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 6 769 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 73%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 88.9%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 95.1%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 25.8 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 30
Total Urban Population 4.8 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 46.4%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 39.7% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 44.6% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of North Macedonia across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

North Macedonia Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
4.4 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 51th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
206.5 °C Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 43th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
24.8% Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 41th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
71.4 ZJ Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 58th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
42.8 °C/km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 61th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
88.9% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 89th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
40.6% Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 41th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
20.6 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 55th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
35.3 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 36th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.3 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 51th percentile
Urban demand colocation
51.2% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 61th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: North Macedonia

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for North Macedonia indicates extensional_basin geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 24.8% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 88.9% 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 1.4 km and crustal thickness of 35.3 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 71.4 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, North Macedonia 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 North Macedonia is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 286 model cells (land area: 25 713 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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