MIT Technology Review is reporting that a geothermal power plant in New Mexico, once failing, is now running at full capacity thanks to new drilling technology. The publication said Zanskar purchased the Lightning Dock plant in June 2024 when its underground water reservoir was cooling, making it uneconomical. Two years later, the plant is fully operational.
Zanskar used advanced modeling and modern drilling to identify a better well site, drilling 8,000 feet deep to revive the operation. Joel Edwards, Zanskar’s cofounder and CEO, said the original wells were shallow at 2,500 feet and only tapped the top of the reservoir. The plant, designed for at least 310 degrees Fahrenheit, was receiving water at just 250 degrees Fahrenheit before Zanskar’s intervention. The new well, operational since May 2025, continues to flow at more than 4,000 gallons per minute, leading to a complete turnaround for the plant.
Ben Brenner, Zanskar’s director of federal affairs, noted that the increased flow at deeper levels challenges conventional wisdom about geothermal drilling, potentially changing how all hydrothermal assets in America are viewed. The plant now generates more than double its previous electricity, supplying 15 megawatts to the local grid, enough for about 11,000 U.S. homes. Edwards anticipates deeper drilling, similar to trends in oil and gas, will become more common in geothermal energy, with plans for further development at Lightning Dock.
Full Article: How an overlooked geothermal plant got a second chance