The agreement will make Shell Energy the first offtaker to receive electrons from Phase I of Cape Station, Fervo’s flagship geothermal development in Beaver County, Utah. The deal also marks the official upsizing of Cape Station from 400 MW to 500 MW – a major milestone enabled by recent breakthroughs in Fervo’s well design and field development strategy.
By increasing casing diameter, optimizing well spacing using fiber optic sensing, and implementing staggered bench development, Fervo is now able to generate more megawatts per well. These innovations significantly improve project efficiency and economics, allowing for a 100 MW capacity increase without the need for additional drilling.
“We’re thrilled to work with Shell Energy,” said Dawn Owens, VP, Head of Development & Commercial Markets at Fervo. “This agreement demonstrates that Fervo is stepping up to meet the moment. As customers seek out 24/7 carbon-free energy, geothermal is clearly an essential part of the solution.”
Cape Station is the world’s largest enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) development and will begin delivering electricity to the grid in 2026. With this agreement, Shell Energy expands its renewable energy portfolio, which already includes wind, solar, and battery storage, by adding firm, zero-emission geothermal energy to serve retail load customers.
In 2021, the California Public Utilities Commission issued a mid-term reliability (MTR) mandate requiring load serving entities in California to procure a combined total of 1,000 MW of non-weather-dependent, non-battery, zero-emission energy to support grid reliability. Fervo’s firm, carbon-free geothermal power directly addresses this mandate and is a critical component of the state’s evolving energy mix.
With this agreement, 500 MW of capacity at Fervo’s Cape Station are fully contracted, underscoring strong demand from utilities and large energy purchasers for clean, firm power. This includes major existing agreements such as the PPAs with Southern California Edison – announced in June 2024 as the world’s largest geothermal power purchase agreements – and an expanded deal with Clean Power Alliance that adds 18 MW of carbon-free geothermal energy to their existing PPA with Fervo.
