Quaise Energy achieves drilling milestone with millimetre wave technology

Quaise’s millimetre wave drilling system, developed after more than a decade of research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), harnesses a powerful gyrotron to ablate rock for the first time without any downhole hardware. Unlike conventional drill bits, which struggle with hard, hot, rocks like granite and basalt, millimetre wave technology allows access to superhot rock – around 752°F (400°C) – typically found deep within the Earth’s subsurface.

Accessing hotter rock deeper underground enables Quaise geothermal plants to generate many times more energy than traditional geothermal – opening up grid-scale projects that can match the power output of major fossil fuel plants.

“The Earth holds an enormous reservoir of clean energy – energy that could fundamentally change how we power our world if we can reach it,” said Carlos Araque, CEO and President of Quaise Energy. “Quaise has now demonstrated that millimetre wave technology can do what no other technology can do: drill perfectly clean holes through some of the hardest rocks on Earth in record time. This milestone brings us closer to making geothermal energy a practical solution to power communities virtually anywhere.”

Prior to 2025, millimetre wave drilling had only been demonstrated in the laboratory, with MIT’s early system drilling a hole just a few centimetre deep. While 100 m is only a fraction of the commercial depth needed for the company's first power plants, the granite drilled during the field test is the same type of hard rock that blankets the basement layer of the Earth’s crust. Drilling efficiently through the basement layer is the only way to unlock superhot geothermal worldwide.

The company plans to build on this achievement with an upcoming gyrotron using 10x more power. Quaise further expects to complete a pilot power plant in the Western US as early as 2028.

“Our progress this year has exceeded all expectations,” added Araque. “We’re drilling faster and deeper at this point than anyone believed possible, proving that millimetre 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.”

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