Efficiencies of scale from multiple drilling operations likely pale in comparison to the costs of each well. Keep in mind that some factors, such as well casin

Efficiencies of scale from multiple drilling operations likely pale in comparison to the costs of each well. Keep in mind that some factors, such as well casings, drilling mud, drill bits, labour, and support costs remain high on a per-well basis. A 10% savings evaporates quickly if 100 wells are required to match the energy return of 1 or 10. Well depth and diameter are major determinants of drilling costs in both petroleum and geothermal operations. The ability to achieve a high, long-term return on relatively shallow drilling operations probably trumps any learning-curve efficiency improvements in drilling itself. Sites such as Yellowstone (based on some former research I'd made) contribute significantly to US baseload electrical generation, should the US choose to exploit them. It's also worth noting that there already is considerable expertise in drilling generally, with over 160 years of experience over millions of individual wells, and that the efficiency / improvement curve is likely fairly ... well ... exploited. "Geothermal Drilling Costs" (2006) <https://www.thedriller.com/articles/84584-geothermal-drilling-costs https://www.thedriller.com/articles/84584-geothermal-drillin...> "Cost analysis of oil, gas, and geothermal well drilling" (2014) <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0920410514000813 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092041051...>