Sage of the U.S. and Chiyoda of Japan Collaborate on Geothermal Surface Facilities Research

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Sage Geosystems and Chiyoda have agreed to jointly evaluate the technical and commercial feasibility of surface equipment required for commercial-scale geothermal power plants.

Under a memorandum of understanding, the two companies will conduct a feasibility study on high-pressure surface facilities needed to recover energy from high-temperature, high-pressure fluids at the wellhead. The study will be based on Sage's proprietary Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) technology, with Chiyoda evaluating the configuration of major equipment, power and energy balance, indicative capital expenditure and operating costs, as well as the levelized cost of electricity. The work will be carried out based on wellhead pressure, fluid properties, temperature, and operating conditions provided by Sage.

Sage's approach involves injecting water into engineered reservoirs in hot rock to fully harness the thermal and pressure energy contained underground. Water returns to the surface from the reservoir, reducing pressure and water loss. The company states that this method provides stable, low-carbon baseload power. The technology is also being developed for long-duration energy storage, where electricity is used to store pressure underground during periods of excess power and released during peak demand.

Shayne Dustin, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Development at Sage, stated that Chiyoda's expertise in engineering complex high-pressure industrial facilities makes it an ideal partner as Sage advances its proprietary EGS technology toward commercial scale. This collaboration is an important step in validating the surface infrastructure required to transform underground innovation into gigawatt-scale power generation and long-duration energy storage.

The initiative has been selected and supported by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's TIB CATAPULT program, a cluster initiative promoted by Plug and Play Japan as the TIB cluster representative. The two companies noted that this study also aligns with Tokyo's "Zero Emission Tokyo Strategy."

Ken Kimeta, Assistant Director of Business Development and Growth Transformation and Head of Business Co-Creation at Chiyoda, stated that this collaboration combines Chiyoda's engineering strength in high-pressure facility design with Sage's subsurface technology approach, with the shared goal of accelerating the path to commercial-scale deployment and providing a reliable, low-carbon source of electricity.

Conventional geothermal power plants rely on naturally occurring steam or hot water and are largely limited to specific regions. EGS employs drilling, well construction, and reservoir management techniques from the oil and gas industry, making geothermal development possible in areas previously considered unsuitable.

Earlier this month, Sage Geosystems brought its SMECI facility in southern Texas, U.S., into operation following an extended operating period.