THE ENERGY INTERVIEW
500MW
The capacity of ABB’ s latest project with Fervo Energy
Q. WHY HAS‘ PERFORMANCE PER MEGAWATT’ BECOME MORE IMPORTANT LATELY?
» Performance per megawatt is where projects are now won or lost. As industries face increasing pressure from limited grid resources and tighter project timelines, the constraint is no longer just access to energy, it is how effectively that energy is converted into output over the full lifecycle, making performance per megawatt a critical metric and differentiator.
Stakeholders are placing greater weight on performance per megawatt, reliability from first power and speed to commissioning.
ABB helps address this by engineering electrification, large drives, motors and automation systems to work together from the outset. This reduces integration risk, shortens commissioning and ensures more predictable operations from day one.
At a time when energy demand is growing rapidly, I believe helping customers do more with every megawatt is one of the most powerful ways to support a more productive and sustainable future.
ABB is working with Fervo Energy on its Cape Station geothermal plant in Utah
Q. WHAT ROLE MIGHT AI AND AUTOMATION PLAY IN THE RISE OF GEOTHERMAL OVER THE NEXT DECADE?
» AI and automation will be central to unlocking the full potential of geothermal, helping it scale faster. This is where ABB has a critical role to play.
Geothermal is complex because you are managing subsurface reservoirs, high-pressure fluid systems, turbines, generators and grid connections simultaneously. To do that efficiently and reliably at scale, you need intelligent automation and advanced digital tools.
On the automation side, deploying distributed control systems and
32 September 2026