Completion of McGinness Hills geothermal plant complex expansion

McGinness Hills geothermal power plant, Jersey Valley, Nevada (source: flickr/ BLM Nevada, creative commons)

Alexander Richter 7 Jun 2021

Ormat Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ORA) announced today having completed the completion of the expansion of its McGinness Hills Phase 3 geothermal power plant in Eastern Nevada. The expansion increases the power plant net capacity to approximately 69 MW, bringing the entire McGinness Hills complex capacity to a total of approximately 160 MW.

The McGinness Hills Phase 3 power plant continues to sell its electricity under the current 25-year long term portfolio power purchase agreement with Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) to provide 100% of the geothermal power from the expansion project to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). LADWP has been receiving 48 MW of McGinness Hills 3 geothermal power plant since December 15, 2018. The recently completed McGinness Hills Phase 3 Expansion project on May 5, 2021 will provide an additional 21.25 MW to LADWP. These two projects, coupled with the four other Ormat geothermal projects totaling 57.4 MW, brings LADWP’s total Northern Nevada geothermal portfolio with Ormat to 126.65 MW.

The Phase 3 expansion is an example of Ormat’s continued commitment to maximize output during peak hours by deploying our most advanced plant designs such as improved air-condensers, turbines, and other design improvements. The new capacity is sold under the SCPPA power purchase agreement.

Doron Blachar, CEO of Ormat Technologies, said, “The McGinness Hills Complex is the largest geothermal complex in Nevada and the fourth largest in the United States, providing clean, renewable, environmentally responsible energy to the residents of Nevada and Southern California. This enhancement effort increases our capacity and improves our operating efficiency, ensuring that our customers and the residents we serve will enjoy renewable baseload energy for years to come. We leveraged the capabilities and expertise of our product segment to rapidly and cost-effectively bring this expansion online. This new state-of-the-art facility will provide additional electricity for approximately 12,000 homes while offsetting approximately 120,000 tons of CO2, providing the highest level of efficiency and safety in the geothermal industry.”

“The completion of McGinness Hills Phase 3 geothermal plant provides a significant step toward our 100% clean energy future. Unlike wind and solar, which only generate power when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, a geothermal plant produces energy continuously, so we can rely on it for base-load renewable power, 24/7 around the clock,” said Reiko Kerr, LADWP senior assistant general manager of Power System Engineering, Planning and Technical Services. “The 126.65 MW geothermal portfolio currently online will provide approximately 4.7% of our customer annual energy needs and helps attain our goal of 80% renewable energy by 2030. When added to our other non-greenhouse gas resources, it will result in approximately 97% carbon free energy by 2030.”

Source: Ormat