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Workshop on Harnessing Subsurface Resources for Power Generation
The Subsurface Energy to Power Workshop was held on January 7 & 8, 2026 at the Noris Conference Center, Houston, and focused on how to solve our looming energy / electricity needs (data centers, communities) by considering the available subsurface resources that can be quickly harnessed for power generation. Natural gas, uranium, geothermal, hydrogen, and lithium are key.
Wind and solar were not included in this workshop primarily because they are, per se, not subsurface energy resources, and they are not grid-worthy becasue of their many inherent limitations. They do currently serve to provide transional power which allows the new technology of grid-strength energy, climate-friendly sources to emerge after testing and approvals for wide-scale use (more).
In this 2-day workshop, offering 46, 20-minute summaries (here), the panel members explored developing and new solutions focusing mostly on geothermal and natural gas addressing the needs of the AI Data Centers now under construction and in the planning stgaes. SMRs and micro-grids were discussed indirectly about adressing the power needs of the data centers, electricity co-op tie-ins, and “bitcoin mining” but all energy sources are needed to avoid the line losses in long-distance transmission lines, pipelines, or other slow and costly infrastructure and inherent limitations of other energy sources.
Mr. Campbell, the only uranium-nuclear power presenter, summarized the in-situ uranium recovery method (ISR) in use in Texas and the fuel chain involved in the coming small (and micro) nuclear reactors and the micro-grids of the foreseeable future.
The program coverage (here). Mr. Campbell’s presentation slides, with links, are (here).