Wedoany.com Report-Oct. 31, New Zealand Resources Minister Shane Jones has announced the members of the international review panel for the country’s pioneering supercritical geothermal exploration project. The panel will be chaired by Stanford University earth science and engineering expert Professor Roland N Horne. He will be joined by Dr Omar Friðleifsson and well engineer Kristinn Ingason, both affiliated with the Iceland Deep Drilling Project, and United States geochemist Dr Darrell Gallup.

New Zealand Resources Minister Shane Jones at the Geothermal Rising Conference 2025 in Reno, Nevada

The announcement was made during Minister Jones’ keynote speech at the 2025 Indigenous Geothermal Symposium, part of the Geothermal Rising Conference in Reno, Nevada. Minister Jones highlighted the formation of a top-tier New Zealand technical team tasked with designing the well, defining equipment requirements, and planning operations to access supercritical geothermal fluids. He said: “It’s exciting to see such high-powered collaboration for the greater good of energy security, not just for New Zealand but for the world.”

The technical design team comprises experts from Mercury NZ, Contact Energy, Upflow NZ, Geode Well Engineering, and Earth Sciences NZ. The site for the first drilling operations has been selected within the Rotokawa Geothermal Reservoir. In 2024, the New Zealand government allocated up to $60 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to support exploration of supercritical geothermal technology.

Professor Horne emphasized the global significance of the project: “Although geothermal energy has been a steadily growing energy source worldwide for more than 70 years, new technology and new ideas have opened new doors and led to renewed interest in its global potential. New Zealand was at the forefront of the first geothermal revolution in the 1950s and is now well placed to lead the move forward to superhot, supercritical geothermal resources, which are bigger and more efficient.”

Minister Jones added: “This is one of the most technically demanding frontiers in geothermal technology and science. It represents a bold and globally significant step forward in the pursuit of clean, resilient and reliable renewable energy and shows how science, innovation, and partnership with M?ori can shape a sustainable energy future.”

The project aims to unlock supercritical geothermal fluids, which operate at higher temperatures and pressures than conventional geothermal resources, offering substantially greater energy output. By combining international expertise with local technical teams and Māori collaboration, New Zealand seeks to establish a globally leading model for sustainable geothermal energy development.

The initiative reflects the country’s commitment to advancing renewable energy technologies while supporting economic growth and energy security. With supercritical geothermal resources offering enhanced efficiency and output, the project positions New Zealand as a front-runner in next-generation geothermal innovation, potentially influencing global renewable energy strategies.

This collaboration integrates advanced engineering, geological research, and geothermal science to achieve a technically challenging and economically impactful outcome, showcasing New Zealand’s capacity for cutting-edge energy solutions and its leadership in the transition to cleaner, more resilient energy systems.