SH Africa Updated 2026-08-20

Saint Helena Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 42.5% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Saint Helena.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
42.5%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
2.3 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
359.6 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
56.1 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area Moderate Distance
58.7%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
203.4 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 23.1% 43.3% 70.7% 97.4% 99% 100%
175°C 14.7% 36.3% 63.5% 77.4% 95.9% 100%
200°C 18.1% 29.3% 50.6% 72.5% 99% 100%
225°C 13.3% 34.5% 51.5% 62.1% 76.1% 100%
250°C 13.2% 25.1% 39.8% 52.1% 65.8% 92.6%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
394 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
167 km² 42.5%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
98 km² 24.9%
4 ...and within 100 km town
84 km² 22%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 4.6 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 2.8 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 289.5 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 331.3 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.3 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 23.5%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 95%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 140.3 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 33.9 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 99 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 11.3 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±1.2 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 541 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 51.4%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 58.7%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 63.7%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 29.9 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 8
Total Urban Population 0.6 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 52.3%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 68% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 76.5% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Saint Helena across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Saint Helena Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
2.3 km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 81th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
359.6 °C Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 99th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
42.5% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 71th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
203.4 ZJ Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 72th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
56.1 °C/km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 80th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
58.7% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 59th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
95% Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 95th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
11.3 km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 75th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
33.9 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 39th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±0.9 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 65th percentile
Urban demand colocation
76.2% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 69th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Saint Helena

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Saint Helena indicates hotspot_oceanic geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 42.5% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 58.7% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by hotspot oceanic dynamics with median sediment thickness of 0.3 km and crustal thickness of 33.9 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 203.4 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Saint Helena 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 Saint Helena is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 4 model cells (land area: 394 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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