Overview:

In Episode 159 of The Driller Newscast, host Brock Yordy interviews Kevin Moravec at the NY-GEO 2025 Conference in Saratoga Springs for a crucial about the massive shifts reshaping the drilling industry. As new all-electric building mandates and aggressive state incentives take effect, a multi-billion-dollar geothermal drilling boom is rapidly approaching. This episode serves as a vital call to action for legacy water well and industrial drillers to embrace this pivot and capitalize on the expanding market.

A major focal point is the industry’s impending "silver tsunami." With one in four drillers currently over the age of 58, the industry faces a critical workforce bottleneck. However, this demographic shift presents an unprecedented opportunity for the next generation. The episode highlights how young professionals can enter the trades debt-free, put in the hard work, and potentially earn upward of $150,000 a year within their first five to six years.

Beyond the economic and workforce opportunities, the discussion dives deep into the environmental imperative of geothermal technology. To meet global decarbonization goals, the water well and geothermal sectors must unify to address a staggering water crisis. Traditional commercial cooling towers waste an estimated 15 billion gallons of fresh water every single day. By transitioning to closed-loop geothermal systems and underground thermal energy networks, the industry can provide a desperately needed solution. Ultimately, this episode challenges professionals to pitch geothermal not just for energy efficiency, but as an essential technology for saving our rapidly depleting freshwater resources.

Read on for a more detailed recap of our discussion this week.

There’s a shift happening beneath our feet—and if you’re in drilling, you can probably feel it already. In Episode 159 of The Driller Newscast, Brock Yordy sits down with Kevin Moravec to talk about what’s coming next. Not five years from now. Not “eventually.” Right now.

The short version? A multi-billion-dollar geothermal boom is forming, and it’s being driven by two powerful forces: policy and necessity.

States are rolling out all-electric building mandates. Incentives are stacking up. Utilities are starting to rethink how they heat and cool entire communities. And suddenly, geothermal—long considered a niche or “nice-to-have”—is stepping into the spotlight as a serious piece of energy infrastructure.

For drillers, this isn’t just another market trend. It’s a pivot point. The conversation between Yordy and Moravec makes one thing clear: this isn’t speculative. The work is coming.

As buildings electrify, the demand for efficient, scalable heating and cooling systems is exploding. Air-source heat pumps can only go so far—especially in dense urban environments or extreme climates. That’s where geothermal, and more specifically geo-exchange systems, start to shine.

But here’s the catch: none of it happens without drilling.

Every closed-loop system, every thermal energy network, every district-scale geothermal project starts with holes in the ground. And lots of them.

That puts water well and industrial drillers in a unique position. The skills are already there. The rigs are already there. The question is whether the industry is ready to lean in.

Because if not, someone else will.

The “Silver Tsunami” Is Real

At the same time this opportunity is ramping up, the industry is facing a challenge it can’t ignore: the workforce.

Moravec calls it the “silver tsunami,” and it’s not an exaggeration. Roughly one in four drillers is over the age of 58. That means a massive portion of the workforce is nearing retirement—right as demand is about to spike.

On paper, that sounds like a crisis.

In reality, it might be one of the biggest opportunities the trades have seen in decades.

There’s a wide-open lane for the next generation to step in. And unlike a lot of career paths, this one doesn’t come with a mountain of student debt. Young professionals can enter the field, learn on the job, and within five to six years, realistically be earning $100,000 to $150,000 annually.

That’s not hype. That’s math driven by demand.

But it only works if the industry tells that story—and builds the training pipelines to support it.

The Bigger Story: Water

If geothermal were just about energy efficiency, it would still be a strong case. But the conversation goes deeper than that. One of the most compelling points in the episode is something that doesn’t get talked about enough: water.

Traditional commercial cooling systems—especially cooling towers—are incredibly water-intensive. We’re talking about an estimated 15 billion gallons of fresh water wasted every single day. Let that sink in.

At a time when drought conditions, water scarcity, and infrastructure strain are becoming more common across the U.S., that kind of usage isn’t just inefficient—it’s unsustainable.

This is where geothermal flips the narrative. Closed-loop systems don’t consume water in the same way. Thermal energy networks move heat through the ground, not through evaporating water into the atmosphere. It’s a fundamentally different approach to heating and cooling—one that aligns with both energy and water conservation goals. In other words, geothermal isn’t just about decarbonization. It’s about preservation.

What makes this episode stand out isn’t just the data or the projections. It’s the tone.

There’s a sense of urgency—but also a sense of possibility.

For legacy drillers, this is a moment to rethink the playbook. The same expertise that built the water well industry can help build the geothermal future. The transition isn’t about starting over—it’s about evolving. And for newcomers, the door is wide open.

The industry needs people. It needs training. It needs leaders willing to step in and take ownership of what comes next. Because the geothermal boom isn’t a distant concept anymore.

It’s here and it’s growing — it’s drilling its way into becoming one of the most important infrastructure plays of the next decade.
 

Thanks for joining us.

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Brock Yordy, Global Drilling SME, Anchor, and lead content creator at TheDriller.com, wants you to contribute to TheDriller.com. Send news, tips and interview suggestions to questions@askbrock.com.