seeing green
Houston cleantech startup seeks $200M for superhot geothermal plant
Houston-based Quaise Energy is looking to raise $200 million to support the development of a 50-megawatt superhot geothermal plant in Oregon.
The company is seeking $100 million in Series B funding, plus an additional $100 million from grants, debt and project-level finance, a representative from the company tells Energy Capital. Axios first reported the news late last month.
Quaise specializes in terawatt-scale geothermal power. It is known for its millimeter-wave drilling technology, which was developed at MIT.
The company's Project Obsidian development in central Oregon will combine conventional drilling with its millimeter-wave technology. Quaise says the project, targeted to come online in 2030, could be the first commercial plant to operate in superhot rock, a more efficient and abundant resource, but one that requires more advanced and durable drilling technology.
Quaise says Obsidian would initially generate 50 megawatts of "always-on" power and would be designed to add 200 megawatts as additional wells are developed. A power-purchase deal has already been signed for the initial 50 megawatts with an undisclosed customer.
A representative from the company says Quaise would also use the funding to continue advancing its millimeter-wave technology and prepare it for commercialization.
Last year, the company drilled to a depth of about 330 feet using its millimeter-wave technology at its field site in Central Texas.
“Our progress this year has exceeded all expectations,” Carlos Araque, CEO and president of Quaise Energy, said at the time. “We’re drilling faster and deeper at this point than anyone believed possible, proving that millimeter-wave technology is the only tool capable of reaching the superhot rock needed for next-generation geothermal power. We are opening up a path to a new energy frontier.”
Canary Media reports that Quaise plans to drill to nearly 3,300 feet later this year and to deploy its millimeter-wave technology at its power plant in 2027.
Quaise raised $21 million in a Series A1 financing round in 2024 and a $52 million Series A in 2022. Major investors include Prelude Ventures, Safar Partners, Mitsubishi Corporation, Nabors Industries, TechEnergy and others.
Quaise was one of eight Houston-area companies to appear on Time magazine and Statista’s list of America’s Top GreenTech Companies of 2025.