[USA] DOE funds 11 community-scale geothermal system design projects

On April 25, 2023, the Department of Energy announced that 11 communities across 10 states will receive funding to design geothermal heating and cooling systems.[1] Geothermal systems utilize the relatively stable temperatures underground to transfer heat into buildings in the winter and out of them in the summer through a distribution network of underground pipes. These systems run on electricity, though they do not substantially increase electricity demand. The announcement represents the first of two phases in a $13 million initiative to support the design and deployment of community geothermal heating and cooling systems. The projects are part of the Biden administration’s Justice40 initiative, which sets a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities.

Communities selected by the DOE include Ann Arbor, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; New York City, New York; Duluth, Minnesota; Framingham, Massachusetts; Wallingford, Connecticut; Carbondale, Colorado; Middlebury, Vermont; Seward, Alaska; Shawnee, Oklahoma; and Nome, Alaska. The 11 selected projects include more than 60 partners across the U.S.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-13-million-support-community-geothermal-heating-and-cooling-solutions

[USA] DOE announces initiative to cut enhanced geothermal costs by 90% by 2035

On September 8, 2022, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm announced the Enhanced Geothermal Shot, the fourth shot announced in the DOE’s Energy Earthshots Initiative.[1] The Enhanced Geothermal Shot aims to make enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) a widespread renewable energy option by cutting the cost of the technology by 90% to $45/MWh by 2035. EGS extracts heat by creating a subsurface fracture system to which water can be added through injection wells. Unlike present geothermal generation, which comes from hydrothermal reservoirs and is limited in geographic application, EGS could extend the use of geothermal resources to larger areas. According to the press release, more than five terawatts of heat resources exist in the U.S.

The DOE is investing in research and development to help reach the Enhanced Geothermal Shot goals. Recent investments include $44 million to help spur EGS innovations for DOE’s Frontier Observatory for Geothermal Energy Research (FORGE) field laboratory and up to $165 million to transfer best practices from oil and gas to advance both EGS and conventional geothermal. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) also included $84 million in funding to support four pilot EGS demonstration projects. Similar to its other Energy Earthshots Initiatives, the DOE plans to hold an Enhanced Geothermal Shot Summit.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-launches-new-energy-earthshot-slash-cost-geothermal-power

[USA] Federal judge halts construction on Dixie Meadows geothermal plant in Nevada

On January 4, 2022, Judge Robert Jones of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada issued a preliminary injunction blocking construction on the Dixie Meadows Geothermal Utilization Project for 90 days.[1] The order came two days before the developer, Ormat Technologies, planned to begin construction on the project. The Dixie Meadows geothermal project includes the development of up to two 30 MWe geothermal power plants, the drilling of up to 18 production and injection well sites and eight core hole sites, and the construction of pipelines for geothermal fluids and other associated structures. The project will be located in northern Nevada. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved the project in November 2021.[2] Prior to the approval, Ormat completed an environmental assessment in 2017 and worked with the BLM and other partner agencies to create an Aquatic Resource Monitoring and Mitigation Plan. According to the BLM, the Dixie Meadows project will help the state meet its renewable energy portfolio requirement of 25% total capacity.

The federal judge’s order is part of a lawsuit filed on December 15, 2021, by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe. The plaintiffs cited concerns about the environmental impact of the project. The lawsuit alleges that the BLM illegally approved the Dixie Meadows project without the necessary environmental analysis. The lawsuit argues that the geothermal project could affect religious practices that depend on nearby springs and could harm the vulnerable Dixie Valley toad. For its part, Ormat’s lawyer said the company could lose $7 million in revenue if the project’s first phase is delayed. Judge Jones, however, said that the imminent risk to the area outweighed the potential financial consequences of a short-term delay for the developer. In addition, he noted that without a more in-depth National Environmental Policy Act analysis, the federal government might not have all the information necessary for its mitigation plan for the project. The 90-day restraining order will give the tribe and environmental challengers the opportunity to appeal the decision to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

[1] https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2022/01/05/judge-pauses-major-geothermal-project-cites-nepa-284812

[2] https://www.blm.gov/press-release/bureau-land-management-approves-dixie-meadows-geothermal-project