SPE Technical Section

Geothermal Technical Section (GTTS)

Advancing geothermal energy by leveraging the technical synergies with the oil and gas industry—accelerating innovation, sharing best practices, and enabling sustainable, reliable heat and power solutions in diverse geological settings. We connect people, projects, and ideas that turn subsurface heat into practical solutions for power, heating, cooling, and industry.

GTTS is a global forum where engineers, geoscientists, policymakers, investors, students, and communities work together to de-risk projects, scale new concepts such as superhot rock and EGS, and build a truly integrated geothermal value chain.

Drilling & Completions Reservoir & Subsurface Facilities & Operations Data Science & Monitoring
Message from the Chair About On-Demand Learning Conferences & Events News & Newsletters Students & YP Resources

Message from the Chair

A message from Dr. Steve Cheung, SPE Geothermal Technical Section Chairperson.

“I am honored to serve as the incoming chair of SPE Geothermal Technical Section. First, I acknowledge the outstanding achievements of the 2024–2025 Board. Under Reza Khastoo’s leadership, regional membership chairs were created to recruit and serve members, GTTS newsletters were inaugurated, strong web-based seminars were presented, scholarships awarded, and our Networking Event at ATCE was the best among all Technical Sections. Kudos!”

“As GTTS is growing rapidly, I am streamlining the Board organization by creating: (a) a Director of Technology to coordinate all GTTS Technical Directors and outreach to other SPE Technical Sections; (b) a Global Membership Chair to coordinate Regional Membership Chairs; and (c) a Director of External Engagement to collaborate with other geothermal organizations such as Geothermal Rising (GR), International Geothermal Association (IGA), Project InnerSpace, and GEODE.”

“This year, SPE Technical Sections will be judged by six categories, which will guide our work in GTTS:”

  • Technical knowledge sharing
  • Collaboration
  • Section operations and sustainability
  • Member benefits
  • Innovation
  • Student integration

“Let us work together to excel both in GTTS and in geothermal expansion.”

– Steve Cheung, Ph.D., Chairperson, SPE Geothermal Technical Section

About

Who we are, what we do, and how we create value for the geothermal community.

About GTTS

The SPE Geothermal Technical Section (GTTS) is a home for members who share a common interest in geothermal energy and its potential to transform electric power, heating, cooling, and direct-use applications around the world.

We focus on transferring technology and practices from the oil and gas industry to geothermal development—leveraging decades of drilling, completions, reservoir, and facilities experience to reduce risk, cost, and deployment time.

  • Provide a neutral, technically grounded forum for sharing case studies and lessons learned.
  • Showcase emerging concepts such as superhot rock, closed-loop systems, and hybrid geothermal–CCUS developments.
  • Connect regional efforts across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia–Pacific.

Mission & Objectives

Our mission is to advance the development and deployment of geothermal energy by harnessing the experience, technology, and infrastructure of the oil and gas industry.

  • Collect, disseminate, and exchange technical knowledge related to geothermal and adjacent petroleum disciplines.
  • Grow careers and businesses through skills transfer as geothermal scales.
  • Collaborate with industry, academia, regulators, and partner organizations while promoting best practices in safety and environmental stewardship.
  • Support students and early-career professionals through scholarships, mentoring, and leadership opportunities.
Community blogs LinkedIn Discussion GroupResource library Events

Conferences & Events

Where GTTS connects members in-person and online—technical sessions, receptions, workshops, and partner engagements.

Recent Highlights

  • Geothermal Rising Conference 2025 (Reno, Nevada) – Major annual gathering with technical sessions and networking.
  • SPE ATCE 2025 – GTTS Geothermal Reception (Houston) – Sponsor-supported event with cross-community collaboration.
  • Geothermal Accelerator Conference 2025 (Ottawa, Canada) – Canada’s deep geothermal potential, policy, and roadmap toward WGC 2026.

Upcoming

On-Demand Learning

Recorded webinars, curated technical sessions, and structured learning series connecting geothermal practice with petroleum engineering experience.

SPEcial Geothermal Talks Library SPE Europe Energy Geohackathon LibraryGTTS on YouTubeGTTS Newsletters
Webinars & podcasts

Recent online sessions

  • Superhot Rock Geothermal — challenges, risk management, and pathways to commercial deployment.
  • Synergies Between Oil & Gas and Geothermal — career transitions and skills transfer.
  • Reservoir Modeling Evolution — from petroleum workflows to geothermal digital twins.

Most sessions are recorded and accessible to GTTS members through SPE and partner platforms.

Newsletters & Tech Studio

Featured technical spotlights

GTTS newsletters highlight applied geothermal engineering, environmental and social considerations, injection and reinjection strategies, and emerging policy and technology trends worldwide.

Topics span induced seismicity, closed-loop systems, EGS, superhot rock, and hybrid geothermal-energy systems.

Curated reading

Featured articles & partner resources

Recent newsletters highlight a growing suite of geothermal articles in the Journal of Petroleum Technology (JPT), including:

  • Record-temperature EGS demonstrations and water-independent geothermal wells.
  • New EGS pilot projects and technology partnerships between geothermal developers and service companies.
  • Global resource mapping efforts such as Project InnerSpace’s GeoMap initiatives.

GTTS also regularly signposts external resources from organizations such as Geothermal Rising, Clean Air Task Force, Utah FORGE, WING (Women in Geothermal), Geothermal Radar, and regional associations.

News & Newsletters

Updates from GTTS, partner organizations, and geothermal activity around the world.

GTTS Updates

  • Board initiatives, webinars, newsletters, and member engagement highlights.
  • External engagement with GR, IGA, Project InnerSpace, GEODE, and regional partners.
Community blogs Resource library

Global Snapshot

Newsletter themes include district heating scale-up, EGS and superhot rock progress, drilling technology advances, policy momentum, and project financing trends across regions.

Optional: embed the latest newsletter image/PDF link here.

Students & Early Career Resources

Scholarships, mentoring, and resources to help the next generation build geothermal careers.

Scholarships & Education

GTTS proudly supports students around the world through the SPE GTTS Student Scholarship Awards. The program provides financial assistance to outstanding students whose research and academic work focus on geothermal energy and related disciplines.

Recipients represent universities in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia and are working on topics ranging from geothermal reservoir engineering and drilling optimization to direct-use systems, hybrid geothermal–renewables concepts, and policy frameworks.

Additional initiatives include short quizzes, educational campaigns, and collaborations with student chapters to raise awareness of geothermal opportunities and career paths.

Get Involved

  • Volunteer on webinars, newsletters, event planning, and regional engagement.
  • Connect with mentors across drilling, subsurface, facilities, and data science.
  • Share student chapter activities and geothermal project learnings.

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Leadership at a Glance

A snapshot of GTTS leadership. Visit the full roster for the complete Board and regional roles.

Steve Cheung

Steve Cheung

Chair

Leads GTTS strategy, programming, and cross-SPE collaboration to strengthen geothermal knowledge exchange and member value.

Gabrijel Grubac

Gabrijel Grubac

Vice Chair

Supports technical programming and community-building, connecting operators, service companies, academia, and students.

Reza Khastoo

Reza Khastoo

Chair Emeritus

Recognized for prior leadership and continued support, including outreach, technical guidance, and mentoring future leaders.

Full officer roster Contact GTTS Follow on LinkedInJoin GTTS

ATCE 2025 Geothermal Reception Sponsors

We gratefully acknowledge the organizations whose support helps GTTS bring the geothermal and petroleum communities together.

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