California legislators are increasingly embracing geothermal energy.
California is set to boost its geothermal energy production, with four bills currently making their way through the state legislature aimed at easing permitting challenges and making geothermal a priority for the state's energy mix.
Companies like Ormat Technologies, Calpine, Enel Green Power North America Inc., Ethosenergy, and GeG Power are leveraging drilling technologies developed by the US oil and gas fracking industry to harness the Earth's heat and generate geothermal energy in California. This new generation of geothermal companies is tapping into the Earth's molten heat in more places than ever before.
One of the key bills, AB-531, would qualify geothermal plants for a "judicial streamlining program" in California, aiming to align the state's regulations with federal standards. The bill has already passed unanimously through two committee votes. Another bill, AB-1016, passed last Wednesday in a committee vote with full bipartisan support (barring three abstentions). If passed, AB-1016 would make geothermal a higher priority for California, similar to the way an earlier statute set California's target for offshore wind.
AB-527 would give geothermal wells a categorical exemption from permits under California Environmental Quality Act, while AB-1016 raises the size limit for geothermal projects under local control from 50 MW to 150 MW across the state. A pair of bills aim to give counties more control over permitting geothermal plants, with county-level permits potentially coming through twice as fast as typical state approvals.
Counties with enough experience with geothermal projects, like Imperial County, could move permits along quickly, according to Alissa Sanchez, the director of business development at Ormat Technologies. The bill AB-531 allows local regulators to take the lead on permitting facilities designated as "environmental leadership projects".
The demand for geothermal has increased due to growing skepticism from the federal government and other key stakeholders about the feasibility of offshore wind power. Wilson Ricks, a geothermal industry expert, believes that geothermal is "probably California's best-shot at cost-effective total decarbonization."
The first geothermal power station in the Western Hemisphere opened in California in 1960, and today, the Geysers Geothermal Complex is the largest geothermal electrical plant in the world. Geothermal energy supplies just over 5% of California's electricity mix. With these new bills, California aims to significantly increase this percentage and solidify its position as a leader in renewable energy.
California hasn't taken bids for geothermal development in seven years, unlike federal agencies in Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. As these new bills progress through the legislature, California is poised to join these states in harnessing the power of geothermal energy, furthering its commitment to a cleaner, greener future.
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