Iceland's IDDP-3 superhot geothermal well is scheduled to spud within the year, with a single-well target potential of 20–50 MW

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Icelandic energy company Orkuveitan has further disclosed its development plan for the IDDP-3 superhot geothermal project, with plans to drill the IDDP-3 well in the Nesjavellir geothermal area in the fourth quarter of 2026 to verify the commercial utilization capability of superhot geothermal resources exceeding 400°C. The testing objective proposed by Orkuveitan is to assess whether a single superhot geothermal well can achieve a power generation potential of approximately 20–50 MW, whereas the current single-well power generation capacity of conventional high-temperature geothermal wells is typically about 2–7 MW. The 20–50 MW figure is currently a project target and a capability yet to be verified, not actual capacity already achieved.

According to Orkuveitan's official project materials, high-temperature geothermal development in Iceland currently typically utilizes resources at depths of about 2–3 km and temperatures of up to about 350°C, while IDDP-3 will push the development boundary to deeper and higher-temperature zones, with a target resource temperature exceeding 400°C and deep geothermal utilization extending to approximately 4–5 km. IDDP-3 will become the third deep well of the Iceland Deep Drilling Project, led by Orkuveitan and jointly advanced with partners including Landsvirkjun, HS Orka, Icelandic energy authorities, and Equinor.

The project has already selected Iceland Drilling as the drilling contractor. According to the current implementation schedule, IDDP-3 is planned to be drilled in the fourth quarter of 2026; the second research well is planned for the fourth quarter of 2027 to test reservoir response after water injection into superhot formations. The overall R&D program therefore does not consist of only one high-temperature well, but advances in the sequence of "production well drilling—superhot fluid testing—injection well drilling—combined production and reinjection verification."

IDDP-3 is also part of the SHiFT project supported by the EU's Horizon Europe. Official EU materials show that SHiFT has a total budget of approximately EUR 23.62 million, of which the EU provides EUR 9.999 million in funding, with a project implementation period from May 2026 to April 2029. The research scope includes superhot geothermal well drilling, completion, flow testing, and surface energy conversion systems, with the goal of advancing the relevant technology maturity from TRL 5 to TRL 7.

SHiFT will verify three types of operating modes in the Nesjavellir and Hengill geothermal areas: direct production of superhot fluids, reinjection into superhot reservoirs, and combined production–reinjection operation through reservoir stimulation. The drilling technology component also includes new wellbore structures adapted to extreme temperature, pressure, and corrosive environments, as well as AI-based drilling decision-making and magma proximity warning systems.

IDDP-3 previously also received approximately ISK 309.7 million in dedicated funding from Iceland's Climate and Energy Fund. The project is currently still in the engineering preparation stage before formal drilling; only after drilling in the fourth quarter of 2026 and subsequent fluid and capacity testing will it be determined whether the 20–50 MW single-well target can be achieved. The 2027 injection well will be tasked with verifying the reinjection behavior of the superhot reservoir and the subsequent commercial operating model.