Khosla-backed Mazama taps super-hot rocks in race to deliver 24/7 power

Mazama, a geothermal startup incubated by Vinod Khosla’s Khosla Ventures, has drilled the world’s hottest geothermal well in Oregon, reaching temperatures of 629˚F (331˚C) at the borehole’s bottom. This breakthrough well has the potential to produce up to 5 gigawatts of energy, vastly surpassing typical geothermal wells that generate tens of megawatts. The company aims to drill even deeper into hotter rock—up to 750˚F (400˚C)—to generate at least 25 megawatts per borehole, which would be two to three times more power than current competitors. This enhanced geothermal technology taps into deeper, hotter rock formations, enabling more productive and widely available geothermal energy that can provide reliable, 24/7 electricity. Enhanced geothermal energy offers a promising solution to meet growing electricity demand from data centers and electric vehicles, especially as it can deliver consistent power without carbon emissions. By injecting water into these super-hot wells,