PR North America Updated 2026-08-20

Puerto Rico Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 34.1% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Puerto Rico.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
34.1%

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
287.9 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
63.1 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area Moderate Distance
67.1%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
110.7 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 9% 25.9% 36.9% 56.2% 70.9% 83.4%
175°C 11% 18.2% 32.1% 50.8% 58% 70.1%
200°C 7.4% 17.3% 29% 41.2% 47.1% 62.1%
225°C 5.8% 14.6% 24.9% 34.2% 42.2% 46%
250°C 4.4% 10.8% 19.5% 26% 34.6% 40.2%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
9 104 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
3 104 km² 34.1%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
2 083 km² 22.9%
4 ...and within 100 km town
1 925 km² 20.5%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 5.8 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 4.1 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 235.8 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 265.3 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.5 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 31.7%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 78.1%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 137.3 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 32.9 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 96.7 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 16.8 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±1.5 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 1 724 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 53.4%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 67.1%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 77.7%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 33 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 20
Total Urban Population 2.1 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 28.7%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 54.6% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 61.4% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Puerto Rico across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Puerto Rico 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
287.9 °C Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 75th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
34.1% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 57th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
110.7 ZJ Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 64th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
63.1 °C/km Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 90th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
67.1% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 67th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
78.1% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 78th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
16.8 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 63th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
32.9 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 41th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.4 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 59th percentile
Urban demand colocation
57.7% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 85th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Puerto Rico

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Puerto Rico indicates volcanic_arc geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 34.1% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 67.1% 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 0.5 km and crustal thickness of 32.9 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 110.7 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 101 model cells (land area: 9 104 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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