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Calpine granted 30-year permit extension for Geyser well pad

Calpine granted 30-year permit extension for Geyser well pad Geothermal Plant by Calpine in The Geysers, California (source: flickr/ thinkgeoenergy, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 14 Dec 2012

Calpine has been granted a 30-year use permit extension for a geothermal drilling site at Davies Estate at the Geysers.

Reported today, the Lake County Planning Commission has approved unanimously Calpine’s request for a 30-year use permit extension on its Davies Estate geothermal drilling site.

Local residents opposed a potential extension of the permit due to seismicity concerns. The permit, first issued in 1983 allows for a total of four geothermal wells on an existing well pad, as well as accessory roads and pipelines.

“The staff report said the wells have operated “without causing harmful effects to the environment,” and added that Calpine is in compliance with all of the existing use permits conditions, which include mitigating impacts on the environmental, wildlife and cultural resources.”

The Davies Estate site produces, so the article, 3.5 MW of steam.

In its decision the Lake Country Commission confirmed Calpine’s commitment to work with the local community and that there have been no complaints for the “specific well pad operation”.

In a side note on that particular committee meeting, the Board of Supervisors proposes a ban on marijuana cultivation in apartment complexes, unless they are approved common areas for growing, and that “processing of marijuana in residential neighborhoods should be limited to what can be grown in that zoning”.

Source: Lake County News