Geothermal power booming in Nevada

Nevada could become the leading geothermal energy producer in the coming years if growth and production trends continue on their current trajectories. Nevada’s 86 planned or developing geothermal power plants have the potential add up to 3,686.4 Megawatts of geothermal power to Nevada’s energy portfolio, power for 2.6 million homes - enough to meet the electricity needs of 100% of the homes in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

Fourteen geothermal power plants are in latter stages of development in the state. These projects will immediately create an estimated 1,400 construction jobs in Nevada once groundbreaking has occurred.

“This high volume of geothermal projects moving into final stages of development will likely generate a massive geothermal boom in Nevada,” said GEA Executive Director Karl Gawell. “Along with the millions of dollars in federal and private investment come thousands of new jobs.”

Twenty recipients in Nevada were awarded a combined $73.6 million in Department of Energy funding, via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and FY 08 appropriations. The infusion of ARRA funding alone into geothermal development in Nevada is expected to create roughly 1,100 jobs in the state.

Nevada has also generated over $44 million from Bureau of Land Management geothermal leasing activities. This includes $4.6 million in royalties and over $49 million in bonus bids. $33 million of these funds were to be distributed to the State of Nevada and the specific counties involved.

The state of Nevada and geothermal counties should receive an additional $12.9 million from recent Bureau of Land Management leases. As money continues to flow in from leases and royalties, which will grow with geothermal project development, rural counties are anticipating an economic boom.

Financial benefits are not the only windfalls that Nevada receives from geothermal power. If all of the developing projects in Nevada come online, the state’s total geothermal capacity will offset more than 23.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. This is equivalent to taking almost 4.5 million vehicles off the road each year.

The GEA Workshop scheduled for July 22 in Las Vegas, Nevada, will bring together investor owned utilities, power cooperatives, and public power authorities across the West to meet and learn more about the potential contribution geothermal power can make to meet their power service obligations.

GEA Geothermal Energy and Utilities, Co-ops and Public Power Workshop

garret@rosengrouppr.com

or 646-695-7042.