Using Australia’s Ancient Volcanoes for Geothermal Power

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#volcanoes #australia #geothermal
Australia may appear to be one of the most geologically stable continents on Earth, but beneath its seemingly calm surface lies a vast and largely untapped reserve of heat energy — a sleeping giant forged by ancient volcanic forces. This video explores the fascinating and often-overlooked story of how Australia once attempted to harness geothermal power from deep beneath the ground, targeting ancient heat-producing granites buried kilometers below the surface. These forgotten projects aimed to transform the immense natural energy of the Earth’s crust into a clean, renewable, and consistent power source. As the global push for carbon-neutral energy accelerates, this video revisits the bold Australian experiments that could still hold the key to a sustainable future.

Unlike countries with active volcanoes like Iceland, New Zealand, and Indonesia, Australia lacks modern volcanic activity. However, its geological foundations are rich in ancient igneous formations, particularly radioactive granites that continue to generate heat through natural radioactive decay. These granites, found in places such as the Cooper Basin and the Flinders Ranges, are blanketed by thick layers of sediment that act as natural insulation, allowing extreme temperatures — often exceeding two hundred and fifty degrees Celsius — to build up over millions of years. This unique combination of radiogenic heat and insulation makes Australia one of the most promising, yet underutilized, locations in the world for deep geothermal energy extraction.

This video takes a detailed look at Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), the technology developed to extract heat from "hot dry rock" — solid rock formations with no natural water or permeability. Unlike traditional geothermal power, which relies on naturally occurring underground steam or hot water, EGS involves drilling several kilometers down into solid granite, fracturing the rock with high-pressure fluid, and circulating water through the system to bring the heat back to the surface. The resulting superheated water or steam can then be used to generate electricity or supply industrial heat. It’s a challenging process, but one with potentially massive rewards: a virtually limitless, always-on power supply with no carbon emissions.

At the heart of this story is the groundbreaking work done in South Australia's Cooper Basin. Starting in the early 2000s, a pioneering Australian company launched the Habanero project, which drilled some of the deepest geothermal wells in the world at that time. The experiment proved that Australia's hot granites could produce the necessary temperatures and flow rates to support EGS, and for a time it positioned the country at the cutting edge of global geothermal research. The project even generated electricity successfully, marking an Australian first. Yet despite these technical successes, the project was ultimately shelved due to high costs, logistical challenges, and lack of sustained government or private investment.

We also explore the scientific principles that make Australia’s crust so unusually hot. Much of central and southern Australia is underlain by ancient continental crust dating back more than a billion years. These rocks are rich in uranium, thorium, and potassium — the radioactive elements responsible for generating natural heat. In some regions, the heat flow from these rocks rivals or exceeds that of tectonically active zones. The difference is that instead of bubbling up through geysers or vents, Australia’s geothermal energy remains trapped deep underground. That’s why the future of geothermal power here relies on technological innovation: we must create the plumbing system that nature did not.

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OzGeology is an Australian-based YouTube channel that specializes in creating high-quality documentaries on Earth sciences and natural disasters. The content is designed to be easy to digest and covers a wide range of topics, not only focusing on geology but occasionally exploring other scientific areas as well.