(Brandon Thibodeaux/The New York Times
From left, geologist Joseph Moore, research professor at the University of Utah, and Tim Latimer, co-founder and CEO of Fervo Energy, exam a wellhead at the site of FORGE, a federally funded geothermal research project, outside of Milford, Utah, on July 31, 2023. In Nevada, more than 219,000 acres of public land was sold by the Bureau of Land Management during a competitive geothermal lease sale Oct 8, 2024.
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024 | 9:21 a.m.
More than 219,000 acres of public land in Nevada was sold by the Bureau of Land Management Tuesday during a competitive geothermal lease sale, officials said.
The online sale offered 66 parcels across Churchill, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Landor, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Washoe and White Pine counties, according to the BLM news release. They parcels combined to sell for $7.8 million.
BLM issues competitive geothermal leases for an initial 10-year period. The leases are a contract allowing the lessee to explore and develop any potential geothermal resource, the BLM said.
Geothermal energy is heat within the earth that is considered a renewable energy because heat is continuously being produced inside the earth. People use geothermal energy to heat buildings, operate greenhouses and support aquaculture operations.
“Geothermal leases are one component of the dynamic energy portfolio in Nevada,” said Justin Abernathy, the BLM Nevada deputy state director for energy and minerals in a statement. “This successful sale takes the nation another step closer to achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector.”
Geothermal energy generates baseload electricity with minimal carbon emissions, the news release said. It is an abundant resource in the West where BLM has the authority to manage geothermal leasing on 245 million acres of public lands, including 104 million acres of U.S. Forest Service lands.
In September 2024, the Biden Administration approved 41 renewable energy projects on public lands that include solar, geothermal and generation interconnect line projects. The BLM permitted clean energy projects on public lands with a total capacity of around 29 gigawatts of power, which is enough to power more than 12 million homes.
Using geothermal energy is critical to meet Biden’s goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy no later than 2050, the news release said.
The leases may be extended if the lessee establishes production or provides proof of diligent exploration, the BLM said.