QatarEnergy’s Geothermal Silence: Why Solar and CCUS Dominate its 2025 Strategy

Industry Adoption: QatarEnergy Rejects Geothermal for a Pragmatic Pivot to Solar and Carbon Capture

Between 2021 and 2024, QatarEnergy solidified a decarbonization strategy that deliberately sidestepped geothermal energy. Analysis from this period reveals a clear focus on leveraging its core strength in natural gas to finance a pivot into renewables, but only where geographically and economically advantageous. The strategy was defined by two major pillars: expanding its status as a global LNG leader through the multi-billion dollar North Field projects and initiating a domestic renewable footprint exclusively through solar power. The announcement of a 2 GW solar plant in Dukhan in September 2024 was a landmark event, signaling that solar PV, with its favorable Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) in the region, was the company’s chosen technology. During this time, geothermal was noted in academic studies as geographically unavailable and was absent from Qatar’s National Renewable Energy Strategy (QNRES), making it a non-starter for QatarEnergy.

From 2025 to today, this strategic avoidance of geothermal has intensified into an explicit and heavily funded policy of non-involvement. The inflection point was the shift from planning to large-scale execution. QatarEnergy’s “green” future is now tangibly centered on two proven technologies: utility-scale solar and industrial-scale Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). The company set ambitious targets to capture over 11 million tons of CO2 annually by 2035 and committed to building out 5 GW of solar capacity. The Dukhan solar project moved into construction with Samsung C&T, and plans for a blue ammonia plant with CCUS firmed up with an April 2026 production start. This dual-pronged approach of pairing solar with CCUS demonstrates a pragmatic adoption of technologies that complement its massive LNG operations, leveraging existing geological expertise for carbon storage and Qatar’s high solar irradiance. For energy strategists, this signals that QatarEnergy’s adoption path is one of optimization and risk mitigation, not speculative exploration into geographically dependent renewables like geothermal.

Table: QatarEnergy Strategic Partnerships (Non-Geothermal)

Geography: A Strategy Dictated by Sunlight and Subsurface Certainty, Not Geothermal Hotspots

Between 2021 and 2024, QatarEnergy’s geographical focus for clean energy was squarely domestic, targeting its own sun-drenched land for solar development. The selection of sites like Dukhan for a 2 GW solar plant underscored a strategy to capitalize on Qatar’s world-class solar irradiance. Concurrently, its international investments remained firmly within its core oil and gas competency, such as acquiring stakes in offshore exploration blocks in Egypt. Notably, while neighboring countries like Egypt began exploring geothermal potential, QatarEnergy showed no interest in diversifying its geographical or technological portfolio in that direction. This period established a clear pattern: play to your home-field advantage in solar and leverage hydrocarbon expertise for international growth.

From 2025 onwards, this geographical strategy has become even more pronounced. The company’s activities are concentrated in two distinct zones: Qatar’s surface for solar power generation and its subsurface for carbon sequestration. The development of large-scale CCUS infrastructure to capture emissions from its LNG facilities leverages the same geological knowledge used for decades of hydrocarbon extraction. This creates a powerful synergy, turning a potential liability (CO2 emissions) into a manageable byproduct stored in well-understood reservoirs. The complete absence of any activity in recognized geothermal regions—like the East African Rift Valley or the Pacific Ring of Fire—confirms that QatarEnergy’s global energy map is drawn according to its unique strengths, deliberately avoiding the geological and exploratory risks associated with geothermal energy.

Technology Maturity: Backing Commercially Scalable Winners, Not Exploratory Ventures

In the 2021-2024 period, QatarEnergy’s technology choices reflected a pragmatic assessment of maturity and economic viability. Solar PV was deemed a fully mature, commercially scalable technology with a rapidly falling LCOE, justifying the decision to launch multi-gigawatt projects like the Dukhan solar plant. Simultaneously, it began investing in emerging low-carbon technologies directly linked to its gas business, such as the USD 1 billion blue ammonia plant announced in 2022. This project signaled a move to take a technology from a developmental stage toward commercial reality. From QatarEnergy’s viewpoint, geothermal remained technologically and economically immature *for Qatar*, representing a high-risk, high-CAPEX exploratory venture with no guarantee of success due to unfavorable geology. The company’s capital flowed to technologies that were either commercially proven (solar) or strategically essential for decarbonizing its core product (blue ammonia/CCUS).

The period from 2025 to the present has served as a powerful validation of this technology strategy. Solar has moved firmly into the scaling phase, with a clear target of 5 GW and the 2 GW Dukhan plant under construction. CCUS has transitioned from a conceptual goal to an industrial-scale priority with a concrete target of capturing over 11 million tons of CO2 by 2035. Blue ammonia is on the cusp of commercial launch, with the plant set to begin production in 2026. This progression demonstrates a clear pathway: identify a viable technology, pilot or fund its commercialization, and then scale it rapidly. Geothermal has failed to enter even the first stage of this pipeline for QatarEnergy. The ongoing, massive investments in solar and CCUS confirm that the company sees these as the mature, scalable technologies best suited to its long-term strategy, leaving no room for speculative plays in geothermal.

Table: SWOT Analysis of QatarEnergy’s Geothermal Strategy (or Lack Thereof)

Forward-Looking Insights and Summary

The most recent data confirms that QatarEnergy’s path is set. The company is not an “all of the above” energy player; it is a highly focused giant optimizing its portfolio around natural gas, solar power, and carbon capture. For the year ahead, market actors should not watch for any signals related to geothermal—they will not appear. Instead, the key indicators of QatarEnergy’s strategy will be concrete milestones within its chosen verticals. Pay close attention to progress reports on the Dukhan and other solar projects as it pushes toward its 5 GW goal. Monitor announcements related to new CCUS facilities and partnerships, which are critical to meeting the ambitious 11-million-ton capture target by 2035. The successful launch of the blue ammonia plant in 2026 will be a major proof point for its low-carbon fuel strategy.

In essence, QatarEnergy has made its bet. It is wagering that global decarbonization will rely heavily on cleaner hydrocarbons and complementary renewables, rather than a complete switch to a diverse renewable portfolio. The company is transforming itself into a leader in this specific niche. Any deviation from this LNG-Solar-CCUS trinity would represent a seismic shift in national energy policy. For investors and strategists, the message is clear: QatarEnergy’s future is powered by the sun and underwritten by decarbonized gas, with no energy drawn from the Earth’s core.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn’t QatarEnergy investing in geothermal energy?
QatarEnergy is not investing in geothermal because it is considered geographically unavailable in Qatar, as noted in academic studies and its absence from the country’s national renewable energy strategy. The company views geothermal as a high-risk, high-capital exploratory venture that does not align with its pragmatic strategy of focusing on proven, synergistic technologies.

What are the two main pillars of QatarEnergy’s decarbonization strategy?
The two main pillars are utility-scale solar power and industrial-scale Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). The company aims to build 5 GW of solar capacity and capture over 11 million tons of CO2 annually by 2035, leveraging Qatar’s high solar irradiance and its existing geological expertise for carbon storage.

What specific projects show QatarEnergy’s commitment to solar and CCUS?
For solar, QatarEnergy contracted Samsung C&T to construct the 2 GW Dukhan Solar Power Plant. For CCUS, it is developing a blue ammonia plant designed with carbon capture, which is scheduled to begin production in April 2026. These projects are central to achieving its larger goals of 5 GW of solar and capturing 11 million tons of CO2 by 2035.

How does Carbon Capture (CCUS) fit with QatarEnergy’s main business of natural gas?
CCUS is highly complementary to QatarEnergy’s LNG operations. It allows the company to decarbonize its core product, creating ‘cleaner’ LNG for a carbon-conscious market. Furthermore, it leverages the same geological knowledge and expertise used for decades in hydrocarbon extraction, but applies it to permanently store CO2 in well-understood subsurface reservoirs.

According to the analysis, is QatarEnergy likely to explore geothermal in the future?
No, the analysis concludes that it is highly unlikely. QatarEnergy’s strategy is described as an “explicit and heavily funded policy of non-involvement” with geothermal. The company has made a firm strategic bet on a combination of LNG, solar, and CCUS, and the article suggests that any deviation would require a “seismic shift in national energy policy.”