News

Two geothermal plants affected by wildfire at the Geysers

Two geothermal plants affected by wildfire at the Geysers ThermaSource drilling rig at the Geysers, California/ US in February 2011 (source: flickr/ thinkgeoenergy, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 23 Nov 2013

A wildfire at the Geysers geothermal field results in damage to the cooling towers of the McCabe plant of Calpine and affected another one due to a transmission fire caused by the fire.

On Friday, “strong and dry winds whipped up a major, late-season wildfire in the remote hills of northeastern Sonoma County, burning 2,500 acres by nighttime and damaging a geothermal power plant while prompting energy workers in the area to evacuate in the face of advancing flames.”, as reported by the Press Democrat.

The area affected is a large geothermal field at the Sonoma and Lake County border in Northern California.

There are 15 geothermal plants operated by Calpine Corp. in the Geyser area, and the fire affected two of them. The McCabe plant (link to ThinkGeoEnergy Plant Map) sustained some damage to its cooling towers, and another one – so the press – is down due to a transmission issue resulting from the fire, according to Danielle Matthews Serepas, a spokesperson for Calpine.

According to Calpine, the company has evacuated all nonessential personnel from the area and Calpine was assisting the firefightes logistically and with water.

Source: Press Democrat