ES Europe Updated 2026-08-20

Spain Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 18% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Spain.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km Moderate
18%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Deep Target
5 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Commercial EGS
243 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Elevated
43.3 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area High Accessibility
84.9%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
202.2 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 4% 9.8% 16.5% 22.6% 25.4% 35.7%
175°C 4.6% 7.6% 12.2% 17.1% 24% 29.7%
200°C 2.9% 5.8% 9.8% 13.1% 19.8% 20.5%
225°C 1.8% 4.6% 7% 11% 12.7% 15.7%
250°C 1.5% 2.7% 4.8% 6.2% 8.1% 10.1%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
505 990 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
91 078 km² 18%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
77 325 km² 15.3%
4 ...and within 100 km town
65 115 km² 13.3%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 7 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 5.5 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 198.5 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 215.6 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 1.8 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 24.4%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 57%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 135.6 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 36.2 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 104.6 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 19.9 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±1.3 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 15 976 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 74.3%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 84.9%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 96.7%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 29.7 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 260
Total Urban Population 34.7 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 30.4%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 28.8% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 32.4% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Spain across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Spain Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
5 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 43th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
243 °C Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 57th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
18% Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 30th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
202.2 ZJ Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 72th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
43.3 °C/km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 62th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
84.9% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 85th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
57% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 57th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
19.9 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 56th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
36.2 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 35th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1.3 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 72th percentile
Urban demand colocation
81.7% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 72th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Spain

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Spain indicates granite_radiogenic geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 18% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 84.9% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by granite radiogenic dynamics with median sediment thickness of 1.8 km and crustal thickness of 36.2 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 202.2 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Spain 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 Spain is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 5 622 model cells (land area: 505 990 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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