The King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) is drilling a 400-m deep well on its campus in Thuwal to study the potential of geothermal energy in Saudi Arabia.

It has contracted TAQA Geothermal Energy Company to execute the shallow well, which will be spudded by January 2024-end

Professor Thomas Finkbeiner, Project Lead and Research, said: "Although energy will not be harvested from this well, this project nonetheless marks an important first step towards realising KAUST’s goals to enabling and developing geothermal energy as a viable renewable energy resource for the Kingdom.

Geothermal resources in the Kingdom present a unique and untapped opportunity to decarbonise and diversify the energy mix.

Geothermal currently provides just under 1 per cent of global energy supply.