Geothermal energy has long promised steady, clean power. Yet the industry still waits years for turbines to arrive after wells are drilled. That delay is about to end.

Critical Energy, a Los Angeles startup founded by a former SpaceX engineer, raised $22 million to mass-produce factory-built geothermal turbines. Their goal: treat power plants like products, not bespoke construction projects.

Current geothermal plants rely on custom-built turbines assembled on-site over 18 to 24 months. Meanwhile, drilling wells has become faster and cheaper thanks to oil and gas techniques. The real bottleneck shifted above ground.

Critical Energy’s turbines resemble rocket engines, a design influence from founder Spencer Jackson’s seven years at SpaceX. The modular, container-sized units can be trucked in and switched on within weeks. Sites can stack these modules for larger output.

The startup plans a commercial 2.5-megawatt project by 2027 and aims for 300 gigawatts of annual turbine production by 2045. It targets not just geothermal drillers but the entire industry’s turbine supply.

Demand comes from the tech sector’s relentless electricity appetite, especially data centers. These need power 24/7, something solar and wind can’t guarantee without costly storage. Geothermal fills that gap with always-on clean energy.

Investors see the opportunity. The $22 million seed round, led by Susa Ventures and Upfront Ventures with participation from others, includes $3 million in venture debt. The funds support engineering, factory setup, and initial deployments.

Critical Energy’s approach contrasts with other geothermal players focusing underground. Companies like Fervo Energy and Quaise Energy chase deeper wells and new drilling tech. Critical Energy bets on standardizing turbines to speed deployment.

The gamble is manufacturing economics. Factory production only works if orders arrive in volume. If geothermal drilling booms, Critical Energy could solve a looming turbine shortage. If drilling stalls, the startup faces an idle assembly line.

Meanwhile, another SpaceX alum-backed company, Endurance Energy, secured $54 million to develop ocean geothermal projects near the Ring of Fire. This signals rising interest in diverse geothermal sources to meet baseload power needs.

Geothermal’s biggest ally is the oil and gas industry’s drilling expertise. They can replicate wells at scale. The missing piece is turbine supply—and Critical Energy wants to be the factory line that fills it.

For now, Critical Energy has a pilot plant in Los Angeles and ambitious goals. The energy transition needs reliable, scalable, fast-to-deploy clean power. If this startup delivers, geothermal may finally escape its slow construction curse.