PRESIDIO — In a groundbreaking move that could reshape the energy landscape of Far West Texas, the Presidio Municipal Development District (PMDD) unanimously voted on December 4 to authorize a letter of intent in support of an ambitious deep-well geothermal project in partnership with Exceed Geo Energy, Inc. out of Austin. This deal comes just weeks after Austin Energy, one of the most innovative electricity utilities in the country, announced its own power purchase agreement with Exceed Geo Energy as a “potential game changer for geothermal energy in Texas.” In a press release, the utility stated that “[t]he pilot is expected to be online and producing carbon-free electricity in 2025 and could signal the next green energy innovation in Texas.”

Presidio’s geothermal journey began with a technical assessment by Dr. Ken Wisian and his team from the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) at UT-Austin. Based on his highly favorable findings, Wisian encouraged Presidio representatives to attend Geothermal Rising, the world’s largest geothermal conference, on the Big Island of Hawaii in October. Local geothermal booster Trey Gerfers participated in a rural geothermal panel there that was attended by several geothermal developers who spent the rest of the conference courting Gerfers and John Kennedy, consultant for the City of Presidio. On the final day of the conference, Exceed Geo Energy CEO Tim Tarver and Drilling and Completions Lead Nasikul Islam met with Wisian, Gerfers, and Kennedy to hammer out a preliminary arrangement for geothermal electricity development in Presidio County.

Unlike conventional and enhanced geothermal systems, Exceed Geo Energy’s advanced engineering method uses supercritical carbon dioxide instead of water as the heat transfer medium, offering significant environmental and efficiency advantages, without any fracking or ongoing water input. “Our closed-loop system not only produces clean, baseload power but also actively sequesters carbon,” said Islam. “By using supercritical CO2 as our working fluid, we’re creating a negative carbon footprint while generating electricity.” Tarver added that Exceed Geo Energy’s plants “take 10 times less land than solar does for the same amount of energy we can create, and we’re baseload power, so that means 100% ‘on’ power.”

Ahead of the PMDD board meeting on December 4, Tarver and Islam toured the Presidio area, including 142 acres of PMDD-owned land behind the industrial park that Kennedy has identified as highly suitable for geothermal development with plenty of room for future growth. In addition to geothermal electricity, the effluent heat from the geothermal system can be harnessed for a wide range of commercial and industrial applications, including greenhouse agriculture, food processing, and refrigeration, creating a cascade of economic opportunities. According to Tarver, “This technology has the potential to transform Presidio’s economy and serve as a blueprint for sustainable development in rural communities worldwide.”

By harnessing the earth’s heat, Presidio could become a hub for sustainable industry, attracting businesses seeking reliable, carbon-negative energy. The project opens up possibilities for innovative applications such as efficient building climate control, domestic hot water production, and even the “green” production of hydrogen and fertilizer. As the project moves forward, this small border town is set to take a giant leap into the future of energy, potentially setting a new standard for renewable, carbon-negative power generation and rural economic development.

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