Southern Nevada eyed for geothermal potential

Geothermal energy has been more commonly associated with northern Nevada, in Churchill and Pershing counties, but the power of steam, a more cost-efficient renewable energy resource than solar or wind, could be harvested in the southern part of the state as well, according to Karl Gawell, executive director of the Geothermal Energy Association.

“There’s no question the exploration is going further and further south and people are becoming more familiar with the geology and taking risks to developing the area, but the market is one of the things that’s holding them back,” Gawell said in an interview with the Pahrump Valley Times.

The GEA Geothermal Energy Expo held in Las Vegas earlier this month, attracted attendees from over 40 countries.

The GEA was optimistic about continued growth despite lagging U.S. markets, a recognition of opportunities in geothermal energy to try and meet higher portfolio standards for renewable energy in states like California and new climate change goals.

The GEA issued a report identifying over 700 geothermal projects under development worldwide, which would more than double worldwide capacity from 12,000 megawatts expected to be on line by year’s end.

Gawell said the Interstate 80 corridor in northern Nevada is attractive for geothermal development because companies are going to develop projects in areas known best for good access to transmission lines. But he said the Nevada Bureau of Mines has done studies that show the potential for geothermal resources in a lot of areas in the state.

“What we’re hoping is you’re going to see more development across the state including in Nye County. You’ve got half-a-dozen projects listed as under some phase of development. I think what’s holding up most of them is the market. In Nevada you have to look at whether it makes sense to replace imported power with Nevada power, which is geothermal,” Gawell said. “You’re still importing half your energy from out of state.”

Last October, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued a record of decision approving the Wild Rose geothermal project, 17 miles west of Gabbs. It will consist of four exploration wells, a 15 to 35 megawatt geothermal power plant and electric substation, production/injection wells, pipelines, an access road and a switching station.

Rampower has drilled exploratory geothermal wells near Silver Peak in Esmeralda County.

During the district 1 meeting last March, Valley Electric Association Chief Executive Officer Tom Husted said VEA was looking to improve transmission lines from Beatty north to remote Fish Lake Valley where a number of geothermal wells have already been drilled.

“We have a huge potential for geothermal up north that we just need to tap into,” Husted told VEA members. “Geothermal can be very cost effective.”

Gawell said cooperatives provide power to almost a third of the communities in the western U.S., getting co-ops like VEA involved in geothermal energy is important.

The One Transmission Line planned by NV Energy across the eastern part of the state, will hook up the power grid between northern and southern Nevada, enabling the southern part of the state to access geothermal power from the north.

While big concentrated solar power plant projects have drawn most of the press in southern Nye County, Gawell emphasized the advantages of geothermal.

“We’re the smallest footprint technology, so you get a lot of power from very little land, which is a big issue in the West,” Gawell said. “One of the biggest conflicts you face — everybody likes the public lands.”

He added, “You can also get base-load power 24 hours a day. So if you were looking at displacing coal, geothermal is a very effective means of displacing coal.”

Geothermal could also be used to fill in the gaps for solar and wind power, providing more reliability.

“We like to call it firm and flexible power,” Gawell said. “We can provide power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We can also provide flexible output so we can support the system, small land footprint and fixed costs. People now are looking at how cheap natural gas is, but one thing about energy prices, they don’t always stay where they are.”

The GSA hopes Senate Bill 123, passed by the Nevada Legislature, will lead to additional capacity for renewable energy built in Nevada for Nevadans. Gawell said they also hope as California increases its renewal portfolio standards, a goal of drawing 33 percent of its power from renewable energy by 2025, utilities will look at the value of geothermal energy.

Recently, Gov. Brian Sandoval announced the appointment of Paul Thompson, an official with Ormat Geothermal, to head the state office on energy. Gawell said Nevada has been a great state for geothermal, a resource the state understands.