First-of-its-Kind Analysis 'From Bases to Baseload' Finds U.S. Military Bases Sit on Some of the Largest Untapped Geothermal Resources in the US

Analysis shows over 300 gigawatts of technical potential for electricity generation across 158 installations, with additional promising potential shown across all 448 active domestic US military installations

BOSTON, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Project InnerSpace published From Bases to Baseload: Geothermal Development and Energy Security on American Military Bases, a first-of-its-kind analysis on where geothermal energy can help military installations generate onsite baseload power. The publication comes just weeks after the administration announced "Fortress America," a program to ensure military installations can generate their own power and stay operational if electricity grids come under attack. 'Bases to Baseload' aims to answer the practical question of where geothermal should be deployed to further military base security objectives.

The military is not starting from scratch on geothermal utilization. A massive US Naval facility in California has produced geothermal power since 1987, and an Army installation in Louisiana has used ground source heat pumps for decades, for example. But examples of active use of geothermal on bases are few, and the resource remains vastly underutilized. Most bases rely on the civilian grid and diesel backup, which is adequate for grid outages that span hours, but is inadequate for outages spanning weeks or months - particularly in emergency scenarios where supply chains may be at risk.

'Bases to Baseload' finds that the US military sits on some of the largest untapped geothermal resources in the country. Geothermal requires no fuel supply chain, and can operate "inside the fence line," which means the infrastructure can be co-located with military installations, and hardened against physical attacks, cyberattacks, and electromagnetic pulse events that may disrupt utility-connected systems. The 'Bases to Baseload' analyses were supported by InnerSpace's GeoMap and GeoForce platforms, and the report was authored by Chris Murray of Poterre LLC and Major General Ken Wisian, PhD, USAF (retired). The outcomes were peer reviewed by every branch of the US military.

"The heat beneath America's military bases is a strategic asset, just like runways, ports, and fuel depots. The military already owns the land and has the contracting tools to develop this unbreakable energy. This report gives decision-makers a base-by-base map of where to start," said Maj. Gen. Ken Wisian, PhD, USAF (retired), co-author of the report.

"Geothermal energy technologies allow our installations to become energy fortresses, enabling them to be powered, heated, and cooled even during an outage. Because these technologies are readily available, this report was written to provide guidance on where to deploy them nationwide to strengthen national security today," said Chris Murray of Poterre LLC, co-author of the report.

Highlights of the Bases to Baseload Analysis:

• Electricity: Over 300 gigawatts-electric of technical potential across 158 installations with today's drilling technology. If drilling reaches 7 kilometers, that number rises five-fold to 1,575 gigawatts-electric.
• Industrial process heat: Almost 2,000 gigawatts-thermal across 402 installations, roughly six times the electricity potential.
• Cooling: Over 370 gigawatts-thermal of geothermal-driven absorption cooling across 142 installations, relevant for hot-climate bases and data centers.
• Heating networks: Almost 900 gigawatts-thermal of high-temperature thermal energy network potential across 183 installations.
• Ground source heat pumps and low-temperature networks: Over 1,500 gigawatts-thermal across 238 installations, viable at nearly every base regardless of geology.
• By service branch: Technical electricity potential totals about 90 gigawatts-electric at Army installations, over 110 at Navy and Marine Corps installations, and over 105 at Air Force and Space Force installations.

"At a time when adversaries are probing critical infrastructure for vulnerabilities and conflicts abroad strain global supply chains, energy resilience at our military bases is an urgent national security imperative," said Jamie Beard, Executive Director of Project Innerspace. "Geothermal provides a pathway to turn the ground beneath our military installations into secure, hardened, and domestic power - strengthening readiness, while reducing exposure to forces like extreme weather, fuel shortages, conflict, and supply chain disruptions."

Key Recommendations in From Bases to Baseload Include:

• Fund feasibility studies and exploratory drilling at the highest-priority installations.
• Establish department-wide geothermal leadership, a deployment roadmap, and trained acquisition staff focused on next-generation geothermal deployment.
• Scale the Fort Polk ground source heat pump model to at least 20 more high-load installations under existing contracting authority.
• Fund a next-generation geothermal demonstration at an installation with probable resources.

Find the full Bases to Baseload analysis here: https://projectinnerspace.org/resources/frombasestobaseload.pdf

About Project InnerSpace

Project InnerSpace is the leading independent non-profit organization dedicated to the global development of geothermal energy. We are a focused research organization, on a mission to remove the major barriers standing in the way of the exponential growth and development of geothermal energy worldwide by 2030. To learn more about Project InnerSpace, please visit www.projectinnerspace.org.

SOURCE Project InnerSpace