A GAME-CHANGER FOR GEOTHERMAL

Nevada Geothermal Energy Will Help Power Los Angeles; New transmission will open the way for northern Nevada geothermal to go to Southern California, as LA moves to kick the coal habit.

EarthTechling Pete Danko, May 3, 2013 (Greentech Media)

“…[G]eothermal energy produced in Nevada will come to California…before the end of the year, when Ormat Technologies fires up its Wild Rose geothermal power plant in Mineral County, Nevada…[T]he energy produced at Wild Rose -- expected to average about 16 megawatts -- would be sold to Southern California Public Power Authority [SCPPA] under a 20-year agreement…at $99 per megawatt-hour with no annual escalation…

“That’s a competitive price compared to other new generation sources, and ten or fifteen years from now it could very well be a bargain. The Nevada geothermal will also help the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) -- which is buying the energy, with Burbank Water and Power, from SCPPA -- to chip away at its reliance on coal. LADWP has vowed to be coal-free by 2025…”

click to enlarge

“…[A new transmission line being built by NV Energy will allow the Wild Rose power to replace] coal power LADWP receives from the Intermountain Power Plant in Utah…[By opening up] the northern Nevada geothermal area, it will help LADWP] stop using coal by 2025 and allow better integration of renewable resources…

“…[The new NV Energy transmission line] will make the Western grid more flexible for renewables…[It] includes the new 500-kilovolt One Nevada Transmission Line that will connect service areas in both northern and southern Nevada...expected to be operational by the end of [2013]…”

Tweet