Journey to the centre of the Earth: Scientists reveal ambitious plans to drill a tunnel into a volcano's magma chamber - and claim it could unleash UNLIMITED energy

t may sound like the beginning of a disaster movie, but Iceland could make scientific history by becoming the first country to drill into a volcano's magma chamber. 

In 2026, Iceland's Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) project will construct a borehole to the magma chamber at a volcano called Krafla in the country's north-east. 

The chamber, which is between one and two miles below the surface, will unleash unlimited geothermal energy to power Iceland's homes and buildings. 

Despite magma's extreme heat – between up to 2,372°F (1,300°C) – experts insist it's safe and won't trigger another disastrous volcanic eruption in the country.

'It's the first journey to the centre of the Earth,' said project manager Björn Þór Guðmundsson.

Iceland already taps geothermal energy – heat that is generated within the Earth – to drive its turbines and generate electricity. 

Icelandic geothermal power plants drill wells more than a mile down to extract hot water vapour, which is separated into liquid water and steam in so-called separators.

The steam is then run through turbines that turn to produce the electricity, but this captures only a fraction of the energy that's available. 

What's more, the geothermal energy is relatively cool compared with steam at a fossil fuel power plant – about 482°F and 842°F (250°C and 450°C), respectively. 

How does geothermal energy work? 

• Regular geothermal systems are a well-established technology in which holes are drilled into a hot region beneath the Earth's surface.
• Rocks underground heat water to produce steam. 
• Steam comes up, is purified and used to drive turbines, which drive electric generators. 
• There may be natural 'groundwater' in the hot rocks, or the plant operators may need to drill more holes and pump water down into them.