PA South America Updated 2026-08-20

Panama Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 33.9% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Panama.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
33.9%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
2.9 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
299.1 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
53.4 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area High Accessibility
81%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
36.2 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 13.6% 23.6% 41.3% 57.7% 80.7% 91.9%
175°C 10.5% 22.7% 32% 47.7% 69.2% 69.2%
200°C 8.5% 16.3% 30.6% 37.2% 56.9% 59.2%
225°C 9.2% 18% 23.8% 33% 42.4% 49.8%
250°C 6.3% 14.2% 21% 26% 35.4% 44.3%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
75 417 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
25 566 km² 33.9%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
20 708 km² 27.5%
4 ...and within 100 km town
17 682 km² 23.9%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 5.7 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 3.9 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 237 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 258.3 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.2 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 42.7%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 85.3%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 139.8 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 36.3 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 101.4 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 17.2 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 5 797 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 62.1%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 81%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 85.1%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 26.6 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 35
Total Urban Population 13.3 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 72.3%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 54.2% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 61% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Panama across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Panama Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
2.9 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 73th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
299.1 °C Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 80th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
33.9% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 56th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
36.2 ZJ Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 49th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
53.4 °C/km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 76th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
81% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 81th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
85.3% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 85th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
17.2 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 62th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
36.3 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 35th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.7 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 52th percentile
Urban demand colocation
28.3% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 67th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Panama

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Panama indicates volcanic_arc geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 33.9% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 81% 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 0.2 km and crustal thickness of 36.3 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 36.2 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Panama 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 Panama is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 838 model cells (land area: 75 417 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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