How geothermal could transform development for the Inner Loop area

By Evan Dawson,

Published April 9, 2025 at 3:32 PM EDT

Five men wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man at foreground left has short brown hair and is wearing a navy blazer, light blue button-down shirt and khaki pants; a man at foreground right has short brown hair, a brown beard and is wearing glasses, a grey button-down shirt, jeans and sneakers; a man at background left has short grey hair, a grey mustache and is wearing a grey blazer, pink button-down shirt and purple tie; a man at background right has short brown hair and is wearing a black blazer, white button-down shirt and blue tie; a man at center has short dark hair and is wearing a navy quilted vest, white button-down shirt, jeans and sneakers.

1 of 2 — (foreground) Bill Coe and Gino Fanelli, (background) John M. Duchesneau and Ryan Macauley on "Connections"

(foreground) Bill Coe and Gino Fanelli, (background) John M. Duchesneau and Ryan Macauley on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Julie Williams / WXXI News

A man with dark hair and a dark beard is wearing a cardigan sweater over a t-shirt.

2 of 2 — Mitch Gruber.jpg

Mitch Gruber

Mike Martinez / Provided

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

"The houses, offices and businesses that might one day populate what is today the Inner Loop highway could tap into a massive geothermal field rivaling the largest systems of its type in New York." That's according to reporting by WXXI's Gino Fanelli.

Geothermal energy uses heat from the earth's crust as a source of heating and cooling; it's more climate-friendly than fossil fuels. Rochester City Council has approved funding to study the potential project.

This hour, we talk through what the work would entail, the costs and benefits, and — if approved — what the project would mean for developing the area.

Our guests:

Gino Fanelli, investigations and City Hall reporter for WXXI News
Mitch Gruber, member of Rochester City Council
John M. Duchesneau, general manager of Rochester District Heating Cooperative
Ryan Macauley, chief financial officer for Rochester District Heating Cooperative
Bill Coe, vice president of EMCOR Services Betlem