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US Geothermal plans with additional 25-35 MW for San Emidio expansion

US Geothermal plans with additional 25-35 MW for San Emidio expansion San Emidio geothermal power plant, Nevada (source: U.S. Geothermal)
Alexander Richter 14 Mar 2017

With a 25-35 MW higher potential for its San Emidio II geothermal power project, U.S. Geothermal is looking at a rather positive scenario for the planned plant with a total expected capacity now at 45 MW.

Geothermal developer and operator, U.S. Geothermal announced last year that new resource estimates at its San Emidio geothermal power plant in Nevada are promising to greatly add to an initially planned 10 MW expansion of its operating plant on site.

In its Annual Report for 2016, the company reported that it completed the deepening and testing of two wells at San Emidio II.  Both wells encountered high permeability and a resource that is 44°F hotter than the Phase I resource. A new resource estimate expanded the resource size from 10 megawatts up to 47 MW.

The company had bought three unconstructed binary power plants in early 2016 having an output potential of up to 45 megawatts, which are now planned to be utilized for this expanded San Emidio II project.

With an initially signed interconnection agreement for a 10 MW plant, the company terminated the agreement due to the larger resource discovered. Now it plans to submit an application for a Large Generator Interconnection Agreement for 35+ MW during 2017.

U.S. Geothermal further secured a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the San Emidio II project and its project at  Crescent Valley to “advance resource evaluation through innovative techniques.”

The operating availability for its San Emidio plant operating today has been 98.2% over the year of 2016.

Source: Stock News Now, Seeking Alpha