Project InnerSpace and the Society of Petroleum Engineers International Launch Initiative to Catalyze Systemic Growth of Geothermal Across Core Engineering Disciplines

New geothermal technical content and programming will highlight
knowledge transfer among oil and gas and geothermal professionals

RICHARDSON, Texas, Aug. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Project InnerSpace (InnerSpace), a non-profit focused research organization committed to the exponential global growth of geothermal energy, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the world's largest non-profit member organization for oil and gas professionals, today announced a new partnership to institutionalize geothermal as a durable technical focus area across SPE's core technical disciplines. InnerSpace provided support for the partnership with a $100,000 grant, "Catalyzing Systemic Growth of Geothermal Across SPE Technical Directions," building on SPE's identification of geothermal as one of its five technical "Grand Challenges." The support is designed as catalytic seed funding, providing the activation energy for a set of repeatable initiatives that can sustain and grow over the coming years within SPE, with the aim of engaging the full technical weight of the oil and gas industry in the future of geothermal.

The initiative is structured around two coordinated workstreams. The first is a Journal of Petroleum Technology (JPT) geothermal technical supplement, a print publication featuring SPE articles on the technical and operational synergies between oil and gas expertise and geothermal, anchored in real field applications that show know-how already transferring between the two industries.

The second workstream funds geothermal-focused technical activities led by SPE Technical Directors across six core disciplines — Drilling, Completions, Data Science, Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability (HSES), Production and Facilities, and Reservoir Engineering. Each Technical Director will receive funding to design discipline-specific geothermal initiatives that engage professionals and student members in their disciplines and build durable, cross-disciplinary ownership of geothermal inside SPE.

The grant extends a growing collaboration between SPE and InnerSpace, which are also working together to develop the Geothermal Resources Management System (GRMS), a standardized resource and reserves classification framework for geothermal modeled on SPE's Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS).

"The oil and gas industry, with its highly skilled workforce and technological advancements that rival those in space exploration, is poised to lead the way in developing this abundant and undervalued resource beneath us," said Jamie Beard, Founder and Executive Director of Project InnerSpace. "We are proud to partner with SPE to tackle remaining challenges to industry-wide engagement."

"SPE's mission is to connect technical professionals to advance the safe, responsible, and sustainable development of oil and gas and related energy resources. We are grateful for Project InnerSpace's support and partnership in helping create new opportunities for our members to apply their expertise, collaborate across disciplines, and accelerate the growth of geothermal," said Simon Seaton, Chief Executive Officer of SPE.

The partnership positions InnerSpace and SPE as leaders in connecting oil and gas expertise to the advancement of geothermal energy, giving operators concrete technical guidance grounded in disciplines they already know, and strengthening ties between industry, academia, and technology providers. More broadly, it reflects a belief that is central to both organizations: that the subsurface expertise and engineering rigor built through a century of oil and gas innovation are essential to reach the speed and scale relevant for geothermal to meet the energy demands of today - and we must get all hands on deck to meet that challenge.

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.

About the Society of Petroleum Engineers

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a not-for-profit professional association with more than 129,900 members in 148 countries engaged in the exploration and production of oil and gas and related energy resources. SPE delivers solutions and empowers people to drive the energy industry forward. Members gain access to premier programs, content, and events designed to accelerate professional growth and career development, while fostering a strong network and sense of community. SPE maintains offices in Calgary, Dallas, Dubai, Houston, and Kuala Lumpur.

SOURCE Project InnerSpace