Taranaki Geoheat Discovery Challenge

What if Taranaki's old petroleum wells could power its energy future? Hundreds of suspended and shut-in wells across the region could be repurposed to deliver geothermal heat for industry, buildings and communities.

The Taranaki Geoheat Discovery Challenge: Assessing geoheat potential in legacy petroleum assets, is using existing data to explore whether these wells could be redeployed for geothermal heat before they are permanently abandoned.

Building on an initial scoping study, the Challenge brings together technical experts, industry and community stakeholders to find out what it would take to turn decades of petroleum infrastructure into a practical, low-emissions energy source for the region.

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What is geoheat - and why does it matter? 

Most people are familiar with the high-temperature geothermal systems of the Taupō Volcanic Zone, used widely across New Zealand for electricity generation and typically exceeding 150°C.

Taranaki's resource is different: generally low-to-mid temperature, sitting below that threshold but still highly useful for areas such as: 

• Industrial process heat, either directly or using ground-source heat pumps for higher temperatures
• Space heating for factories, offices, or homes
• District heating schemes for industrial or residential areas
• Swimming pools and spas
• Greenhouses and horticulture

Watch the Earth Science's video below for more information on geoheat. ‍

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What can geoheat be used for

The image below shows examples of common direct agricultural and industrial uses for geoheat. The temperature range of low temperature geoheat (~<120°C).

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Why Taranaki: existing wells and 60 years of data

When developing geoheat projects, the greatest cost is upfront in the form of drilling a new well, and the greatest unknown is what is underground: how hot is it, and what might the ground water flow be?

Six decades of petroleum development in Taranaki have produced something invaluable for geoheat: hundreds of existing wells and an extensive bank of subsurface data, including temperature logs, geological studies and borehole records. This matters because drilling a new well is the single largest cost in any geothermal project. By repurposing wells that are already in the ground, and drawing on data that's already been collected, the cost and risk of development drops significantly. Any geoheat project in Taranaki starts with a head start that most regions simply don't have.

Note: Onshore suspended and shut-in wells are the focus of this work. Abandoned wells are generally less suitable for repurposing.

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How the Taranaki Geoheat Discovery Challenge works

The challenge has been developed to allow robust and pragmatic de-risking of Taranaki's opportunities, in a way that will provide the best outcomes for geoheat in the region.

The scoping study

In late 2025, Ara Ake commissioned Earth Science NZ (formerly GNS) and GeoExchange, two of New Zealand's leading geothermal specialists, to assess the geoheat potential across the Taranaki region. The key findings are: 

• Taranaki has a medium heat flow which is hotter in the north, and has significant scope for geoheat development
• There may be significant opportunities for cost savings to reuse petroleum wells, but that also comes with technical risks that need to be thoroughly assessed
• Subsurface heat and water flow data provided by petroleum operations could provide a real advantage to developing geoheat opportunities

Read the full study (to come).

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The image above is from the scoping study and shows the modelled depth to a defined temperature for the Taranaki region. Left, modelled subsurface depth at which 30ºC is reached, with the locations of key Taranaki heat users shown. The image on the right shows the modelled subsurface depths at which 80 ºC is reached, with the locations of key Taranaki heat users shown.

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The literature review

In early 2026, GLS Consulting conducted a deep dive into scientific, technical, and industry petroleum well redeployment projects worldwide. This has identified successes, lessons learned, best NZ analogies and has informed the further development of Taranaki Geoheat Discovery Challenge.

Available soon

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Development Use Opportunities (DUOs)

Building on those findings, Ara Ake has developed four Development Use Opportunity categories, which are possible ways in which Taranaki's wells and data can we used for regional geoheat, and which warrant further investigations and development.

Ara Ake is now working with stakeholders to build a technical programme to de-risk opportunities in each DUO, with the goal of establishing pilot projects where possible.

Work programmes may include flow testing, subsurface studies (temperature, fluid chemistry, reservoir connectivity), thermal output modelling and end-use assessment.

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Supporting research

Alongside the DUO work programmes, the Challenge will produce two key reports:

• Legal review: An expert review of the legal and regulatory challenges and opportunities associated with repurposing petroleum wells, and potential pathways to address them.
• Tangata whenua perspectives: An overview of cultural considerations, opportunities, and challenges linked to repurposing Taranaki wells for geoheat.

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Timeline and next steps

• January 2026: Delivery of scoping report
• 21 May 2026, 9am-1pm: Geoheat energy workshop in Taranaki. Please register if you are interested in learning more about Taranaki's geoheat resource.
• 18-24 months: Roll out of the work programme
• Sept 2027: Public summary report at conclusion, with hopeful pilots

How to get involved

The Challenge is open to collaboration. Get in touch if you want to know more or be involved in this project. Whether you're a well owner, an industry heat user, a technology provider, a researcher, or simply interested in Taranaki's energy future, we'd like to hear from you.

• 21 May 2026, 9am-1pm: Geoheat energy workshop in Taranaki. Please register if you are interested in learning more about Taranaki's geoheat resource and this project.

Contact us to get involved or learn more: info@araake.co.nz
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