UG Africa Updated 2026-08-20

Uganda Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 65.6% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Uganda.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
65.6%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
2 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
280.9 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
69.8 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area Moderate Distance
57.8%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
226.1 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 22.3% 50.2% 77.2% 92.5% 99% 100%
175°C 14.8% 39.4% 56.1% 82.5% 99% 100%
200°C 13.9% 35.1% 56.2% 73.1% 93.4% 100%
225°C 14.7% 25.1% 43.6% 57.6% 75.4% 82.6%
250°C 8.9% 22.4% 34.1% 39.9% 57.3% 73.8%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

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

1 Whole country
241 550 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
158 457 km² 65.6%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
91 588 km² 37.9%
4 ...and within 100 km town
78 623 km² 33.1%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 4 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 2.5 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 183.7 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 247.9 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.5 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 19.9%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 95.2%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 135.8 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 29.3 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 85.8 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 14.8 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 14 685 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 50.7%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 57.8%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 61.3%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 13.8 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 50
Total Urban Population 21.8 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 35.3%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 98% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 99% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Uganda across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Uganda Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
2 km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 86th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
280.9 °C Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 72th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
65.6% Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 99th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
226.1 ZJ Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 74th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
69.8 °C/km Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 99th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
57.8% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 58th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
95.2% Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 95th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
14.8 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 67th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
29.3 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 47th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±0.8 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 46th percentile
Urban demand colocation
37.2% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 76th percentile
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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Uganda

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

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Uganda indicates rift_volcanic geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 65.6% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

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

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 57.8% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by rift volcanic dynamics with median sediment thickness of 0.5 km and crustal thickness of 29.3 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 226.1 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Uganda 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 Uganda is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 2 684 model cells (land area: 241 550 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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