Princeton Plasma Innovation Center Makes Strides with New Geothermal Wells Completion

The Campus of the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has transformed this winter with the construction of geothermal wells for the new Princeton Plasma Innovation Center (PPIC). Work on the wells, which began in November 2024 and finished in February 2025, involved digging 500-foot holes, installing U-bend piping and injecting grout to protect the pipes and conduct heat. These wells will form a geoexchange system providing about two-thirds of the heating and cooling for the new building.

The PPIC, designed by SmithGroup, will be a 68,000-square-foot U-shaped building serving as the "town center" of the campus. It will feature a collaborative wing for visitors, office space for 170 staff members and a laboratory wing with 10 medium-bay and 13 small-bay laboratories.

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