Ormat seeks permit for potential geothermal project site in Idaho
Salmon, Idaho (source: flickr/ Sam Beebe, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
30 Oct 2015
Ormat Technologies is seeking to lease a geothermal parcel near Panther Creek Hot Springs in Idaho, a site with a 10-20 MW geothermal power generation capacity according to BLM.
Reported locally, Ormat Technologies has sought a permit for geothermal energy utilisation from a site near Panther Creek Hot Springs in Idaho, U.S. A study by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the U.S. estimated the geothermal power generation potential at around 10-20 MW.
The U.S. Forest Service is now beginning an environmental study of the lease application for the project site on public land. The site is located near the confluence of the Salmon River and Panther Creek, adjacent to the River of No Return Wilderness.
The Forest Service decided to conduct an environmental impact statement as the result of an environmental assessment completed in February 2014. The lease decision will though be made by BLM, which has authority over all geothermal leases of public land.
BLM currently manages 818 geothermal leases in the U.S., of which 59 are in producing status with a total capacity of 1,500 MW of installed capacity. Thirteen of BLM leased parcels are located in Idaho. The Raft River geothermal site in Cassia County was the first commercial geothermal power plant in the Pacific Northwest, and remains the only plant to have been developed in Idaho. The plant’s owner, U.S. Geothermal Inc., has a 25-year contract with Idaho Power Co. to supply 10 MW of electricity under Phase 1 of the project. The company says the 8.2-square-mile site has a production capacity of 110 MW.
Idaho is believed to have 800 MW of untapped geothermal-powered generation potential.
To read more on the project and the process see link below.
Source: Idaho Mountain Express
