Geothermal Resources in Saudi Arabia

There is potential for development of geothermal energy in Saudi Arabia given the ancient volcanic lava fields (harrats), hot springs, and hot rocks (for enhanced geothermal energy).  Currently, geothermal energy is not major source of electricity generation or heating in Saudi Arabia, due to a lack of detailed studies and competition from other energy sources.  In addition, Saudi Arabia may be able to benefit from the use of shallow Earth-coupled (geothermal) heat pumps, using the Earth as a heat sink to provide more efficient cooling of buildings.

An assessment of existing data, and the need to collect additional data, is underway.  Geothermal datasets will be added to the Atlas at a future date.