World's First Subsea Geothermal Well Generated Electricity Briefly

Seattle-based startup Endurance Energy has drilled the world's first subsea geothermal well in the Axial Seamount region off the coast of Oregon. The company's prototype power plant produced approximately 2 kilowatts of net power for 8.7 seconds before shutting down due to software and cable failures.

Endurance Energy CEO Andrew Redd stated that the company aimed to run its 100-kilowatt generator for a year, but the duration fell short in this test. In the operation conducted about 300 miles off the coast of Oregon and a mile beneath the ocean surface, the team proved that a geothermal well can be drilled and completed on the seafloor.

Due to the challenges of the marine environment and debugging processes, they were able to reach a depth of about 52 feet instead of their targeted 200 feet. After water at approximately 500 degrees Fahrenheit flowed, when the narrow pipeline could not transmit sufficient heat, the team connected the generator directly to a hydrothermal vent line. The generator ran for a total of 29 seconds, providing net power for 8.7 seconds.