Ground Geo

Ground Geo (グラウンド・ジオ) is an experimental geothermal power station, located in Academy City's School District 21, at the New Mountain.

Appearance
Situated on the mountain's peak, the facility is comprised of a circular artificial lake, about 50m in diameter with concrete edges, with a metal tower rising from its centre.

Principles
Ground Geo generates power through deep magma heat conduction, a method previously considered in theory before being applied there. A 1km heat-conducted rod, placed vertically down from the mountain peak, extends underground and heat from magma is transferred to liquid which is flowing within the rod.

The station produces an output of 2,027,000 kW, far surpassing the output of a nuclear power station and since the energy is directly extracted from magma deep underground, it has virtually no effect on the environment, making it extremely clean. The primary problem with this method is that it produces extremely faint earthquakes, however these are too weak for people to feel and don't affect everyday life.

Though previous geothermal stations had to be constructed on active volcanoes that could grow unstable in the future, the heat-conducting rod method allows for construction in flat urban areas or even on the ocean floor. Much like wind turbines, Academy City's primary method of power generation, they can be freely constructed anywhere, with potential applications being endless.

The plan to place a heat-conducting rod deep underground was primarily seen as an experiment towards the future construction of a space elevator.

The facility has a high level of computer control with normal operation being fully automated. Every part of the facility is monitored by 32000 sensors and the slightest abnormality is immediately reported.

Background
The facility had been running for more than 3 years before the current year of the story timeline without issue. In August, one year earlier, it was also the location for Mitsuari Ayu's attempted suicide and for the second encounter between Shokuhou Misaki and Kamijou Touma three days later.

Chronology
At some point in November, the surroundings of the power station were covered with the Five Over Outsider's camouflaging powder to alter its appearance and files relating to it were modified, as part of an effort to make Shokuhou Misaki suspect that her memories had been falsified. When revisiting the locations where she had met Kamijou Touma, Shokuhou visited the power station and on noticing that it was considerably different from how she remembered it, began to doubt her memories.