Expands federal geothermal research to cover closed-loop and supercritical systems, directing the Energy Department to fund grants and the Interior Department to drill deep exploration wells.

Official title: Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act

Next stop Senate floor: awaiting a vote

Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions

Senate

Introduced 28-APR-2026

Referred 28-APR-2026

Approved by committee 30-SEP-2026

Key points

Adds definitions for closed-loop and next-generation geothermal systems, including those operating in supercritical conditions
Creates a Next-Generation Research and Development Program in the Department of Energy's Geothermal Technologies Office, with milestone-based grants for supercritical geothermal research
Directs the Interior Department to commission drilling of boreholes deeper than 8 kilometers and requires periodic updates to the USGS geothermal resource assessment
Authorizes $5,000,000 per fiscal year from 2027 through 2031 for the new program, plus such sums as necessary for 2026 through 2031 for related geothermal programs

AI-generated from the Introduced in Senate text of 28-APR-2026 · verify · report an error

Official CRS summary

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Committee referrals (1)

Policy area

Energy

Sponsor Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) Cosponsors · 1

■ 1 R

1 Republican

congress.gov page Introduced in Senate (28-APR-2026)