BLM gives go ahead for Walker Ranch geothermal project in Idaho
Celebration Pari, Snake River Plains, Idaho (source: flickr/ gharness, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
15 Sep 2016
The 25 MW Walker Ranch geothermal power plant project in Idaho/ U.S. has received a go ahead from the Bureau of Land Management.
Reported yesterday, the first geothermal power project on public land in Idaho since the 1980s has received a permit from the Bureau of Land Management.
The Walker Ranch Energy project exists of up to 22 production and injection wells and a power plant near the city of Malta in Idaho.
The issuance of necessary permits by BLM is therefore only a formality. The company, in cooperation with its partner Exergy, is planning the development of a 25 MW geothermal power project.
“While the timeline for power production is not yet known, we are pleased to move forward with Walker Ranch Energy as they begin the process of adding clean, renewable energy resources to Idaho’s portfolio,” said Ken Crane, BLM Burley field manager. Once it is in production, royalties will be shared between the BLM and the state of Idaho.
The project site lies on private land, but some of the wells will have to be drilled on public land managed by BLM.
It is expected that the plant will be utilising a binary cycle system from the project partner, Exergy.
There is another geothermal power plant located in the region. The Raft River geothermal plant, initially a demonstration project by the Department of Energy, was bought by U.S. Geothermal in 2002. The company renovated the plant and some of the wells and the 13 MW net capacity power plant was finished in 2008.
There is an estimated 100 MW geothermal power generation potential in the area of Malta, so BLM.
Source: MagicValley
