tech
January 21, 2026
Zanskar thinks 1 TW of geothermal power is being overlooked
Zanskar has raised $115 million to find about a dozen geothermal resources that could help power the grid throughout the U.S. West.
TL;DR
- The Department of Energy projects geothermal power could supply 60 gigawatts, nearly 10% of U.S. electricity, by 2050.
- Zanskar, an AI startup, believes conventional geothermal's potential is significantly underestimated, potentially reaching terawatt-scale.
- Conventional geothermal has been hindered by outdated assumptions about resource discovery and extraction efficiency.
- Zanskar uses AI, including supervised machine learning and Bayesian evidential learning, to find and plan the development of new geothermal sites.
- The company has resuscitated a flagging power plant in New Mexico and discovered two new sites with over 100 megawatts of combined potential.
- Zanskar has raised $115 million in Series C funding.
- The company has enough sites in the pipeline to support at least a gigawatt of generating capacity, primarily focused on the U.S. West.