Rodatherm Energy is Developing Waterless Closed-Loop Geothermal in Utah’s Wasatch Corridor Sedimentary Basin and Teaming Up with Fulcrum Point Holding’s SMR Nuclear Reactors: Modularity and the Basin’s Brackish Hydrothermal Convection Are Emphasized

  

      Rodatherm Energy Corporation was founded by Curtis Cook, who previously ran a Calgary company drilling horizontal shale wells on pads. He is using that model for what the company calls its waterless geothermal model, which is basically a closed-loop advanced geothermal system. The company is based in Salt Lake City and is planning a project in Utah’s Wasatch Corridor Sedimentary Basin. According to Utah Tech News, that model is as follows:

“…build a small, provable unit, let its revenue fund the next one, and repeat — is the organizing idea behind a new memorandum of understanding between Rodatherm and Fulcrum Point Holdings, the Salt Lake City-based energy infrastructure developer already leading Utah's nuclear buildout in Box Elder County. The companies plan to begin with a 10-megawatt geothermal site near Brigham City, with construction targeted for late in the first quarter of 2027, and scale toward 200 megawatts of capacity over time.”

     The Wasatch Corridor Basin contains deep brackish water that enables efficient heat transfer through convection. The company plans a modular approach to scaling up so they can generate some cash flow while they expand. Utah is rich in subsurface heat, which amounts to potential geothermal resources. As in other geothermal projects, some of the heat can be used for district heating and cooling.

     According to an article in Deseret News:

“Rather than relying purely on steam, Rodatherm circulates a specialized organic refrigerant through the loop. As the fluid absorbs underground heat, it vaporizes to drive a turbine and generator, then condenses through an air cooler and goes back into the system.”

“While it’s tiny on the surface, the design descends about 9,000 feet (1.7 miles) into the Earth before extending into a series of horizontal loops to maximize heat absorption before returning to the surface.”

     Cook noted:

“We go down 9,000 feet, go out two miles and come back up, and we do it six times,” he said.

     After the recent technical problems with Eavor’s closed-loop project in Germany due to hydraulic communication between loops caused by inadequate well cementing. I would expect similar concerns for this project. Drilling is also expensive and materials-intensive.

     The project is being paired with Fulcrum Point Holdings' small modular reactors (SMRs) so that it will be a hybrid geothermal and nuclear system which will provide baseload power.

     Rodatherm describes its model as a combination of convection and conduction geothermal. They utilize turboexpanders to convert vapor pressure into electricity. According to Rodatherm’s website:

“Our economics are shaped by what the system eliminates. The sealed-circuit architecture reduces operating complexity while minimizing parasitic energy losses and long-term maintenance requirements. Combined with modular pad development and established drilling practices, the system is designed to bring firm renewable electricity online in months, not years.”

     Fulcrum Point Holdings is an energy asset developer and financer. The company operates natural gas assets and seeks to add SMR capabilities. Fulcrum Point’s team has considerable experience in nuclear energy development. They are also involved with advanced manufacturing and workforce development. The area where they are developing SMRs is west of the geothermal project area. The company noted in a July 2026 press release about the collaboration:

“By combining Rodatherm’s patented Waterless Geothermal Systems™ technology and Fulcrum’s integrated development platform, we can deliver energy security that supports Utah’s long-term economic growth.”

     So far, I don’t see how this project is distinguishable from other closed-loop projects except that they plan to drill into a hydrothermal system in porous rock as opposed to dry rock. Compared to Eavor’s project in Germany, which, if it had worked as designed, would have produced 8 MW from a similar number of loops at similar vertical depths, this 10 MW project is comparable in expected output. It will be interesting to see how it develops.

References:

 

Rodatherm and Fulcrum Point Bet on Waterless Geothermal — With a Shale-Field Playbook. Mark Tullis. Tech Buzz. Utah Tech News. July 23, 2026. Rodatherm and Fulcrum Point Bet on Waterless Geothermal — With a Shale-Field Playbook - TechBuzz News

Scalable geothermal plants are coming to northern Utah: Rodatherm has slated construction to begin in early 2027. Eva Terry. Deseret News. July 23, 2026. Rodatherm to start construction on Utah geothermal plant in 2027 – Deseret News

GeoNerd Digest – 39th Edition: Rodatherm´s Closed-Loop Test Bed in Utah. Matus Gajdos. Matus Gajdos, July 14, 2026. LinkedIn. (23) GeoNerd Digest – 39th Edition: Rodatherm´s Closed-Loop Test Bed in Utah | LinkedIn

Fulcrum Point Holdings Expands Energy Partnerships Through Geothermal Collaboration with Rodatherm Energy Corporation. Fulcrum Point Holdings. July 20, 2026. News | Fulcrum Point Holdings