In Iceland, people are preparing to drill into a volcano's magma reserve to extract heat from it. This is the very principle of geothermal energy, but in a new location.
Geothermal energy is, in fact, the energy that we obtain thanks to the heat of our planet. Typically, a fluid is circulated to a certain depth – for example, water injected into a crack. The liquid heats up and rises, charged with thermal energy that can be converted into electricity.
Proximity to warmth
Because Iceland has no shortage of volcanoes to warm the underground, geothermal energy provides 90% of the heating and more than 25% of the electricity.
But so far, drilling has only aimed to penetrate to a sufficient depth to extract this heat, and the proximity of the volcanoes' magma did the rest.
In the Krafla Magma project, which is officially scheduled to begin in 2026, we have decided against drawing magma directly from a “pocket” or “chamber”. When it reaches the surface, this fully or partially molten rock “empties” as lava – sometimes in spectacular fashion.