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# New Mexico’s geothermal grants put subsurface research ahead of new power plants
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-new-mexico-2026-10-19-a/
- Published: 2026-10-19T18:25:53.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T18:25:53.000Z
- Description: New Mexico’s $17.3 million geothermal grant package will test underground resources across four areas. New NMSU details outline seismic research near Las Cruces, while commercial development remains a later decision.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: Policy, New Mexico

New Mexico is committing $17.3 million to geothermal investigations across four areas, with newly released university plans showing how researchers will test underground resources before developers decide whether to build. The [state awards](https://api.realfile.rtsclients.com/PublicFiles/4e99eeeeb5b54c41ad6d52e2e78086f6/0763c709-166c-49fa-bc01-d923881e6145/10.08.2026%20State%20investing%2017.3%20million%20in%20geothermal%20energy%20projects.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com), announced October 8, include $2.85 million for New Mexico State University’s work near Las Cruces. NMSU described its next research steps in an [October 16](https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-receives-nearly--2.85-million-state-funding-for-geothermal-energy-project/s/691f6eae-ce58-421e-a9be-d8d0022e0a8d?ref=theamericanquorum.com) announcement.

The immediate product is information, not a new generating station. Energy Conservation and Management Division director Rebecca “Puck” Stair told [Source NM](https://sourcenm.com/2026/10/13/geothermal-energy-projects-in-new-mexico-receive-17-3m-in-state-funding/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) that the grants address uncertainty about what lies beneath the surface. She expects the state to know more about the areas’ viability by June 30, 2027, and said the resulting data will be made public. That is an agency expectation, not a guarantee that commercial projects will follow.

## Four areas, different tests

The [funding list](https://api.realfile.rtsclients.com/PublicFiles/4e99eeeeb5b54c41ad6d52e2e78086f6/0763c709-166c-49fa-bc01-d923881e6145/10.08.2026%20State%20investing%2017.3%20million%20in%20geothermal%20energy%20projects.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com) spans university and tribal projects rather than a single construction site. New Mexico Tech receives $10 million for a stratigraphic test well in Socorro County. The Jicarilla Apache Nation will characterize geothermal potential near Dulce, while San Ildefonso Pueblo receives funding for modeling and exploration in Santa Fe County. NMSU’s grant covers geological and geophysical characterization outside Las Cruces.

EMNRD says New Mexico currently has one operating geothermal power plant. Its stated aim is to support additional facilities by improving knowledge of the resource. The grants therefore represent an early development step: public funding is paying for investigations that can inform later investment, rather than establishing that every funded location can support electricity generation.

## What the university will measure

According to [NMSU’s account](https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-receives-nearly--2.85-million-state-funding-for-geothermal-energy-project/s/691f6eae-ce58-421e-a9be-d8d0022e0a8d?ref=theamericanquorum.com), project leader Eric Ferré’s team will combine rock analysis, existing borehole information, seismic measurements and magnetic data in a three-dimensional model. The grant also supports a scanning electron microscope. In November, researchers plan to place small seismometers at volunteers’ homes for roughly a month, then retrieve the instruments and their recordings.

Ferré describes a staged approach intended to reduce uncertainty before more expensive work, potentially including a pilot drill hole near campus. Those technical plans are the university’s description of its own project, not independently verified field results. Its stated scientific objective includes producing useful findings even if the investigation does not identify a viable geothermal resource.

Construction would also sit within a separate regulatory framework. [ECAM’s guidance](https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/ecmd/geothermal/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) identifies the division as the state regulator for high-temperature geothermal resources above 250 degrees Fahrenheit, including covered injection wells. It directs applicants to submit permit materials before applicable activities. A research award should not be read as evidence that a future facility has received those permissions.

For the statewide effort, the next substantive milestone is the promised public evidence. Stair told [Source NM](https://sourcenm.com/2026/10/13/geothermal-energy-projects-in-new-mexico-receive-17-3m-in-state-funding/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) that private developers would determine the subsequent timetable. The distinction matters: better subsurface data may help evaluate projects, but research schedules and commercial construction schedules are not interchangeable.