Federal officials sold 13 geothermal lease parcels in California for the first time in nearly a decade, with all parcels receiving bids. The Bureau of Land Management offered 10-year leases covering 23,000 acres in Imperial, Lassen and Modoc counties, with most parcels located in the Salton Sea Basin. Winning bids ranged from $2 to $247 per acre. Geothermal power typically involves drilling into steam and hot water reservoirs that drive turbines, producing continuous clean electricity. Experts view geothermal as a growing tool for addressing climate change and aiding California's goal of carbon neutrality by 2045.
For the first time in nearly a decade, federal officials on Tuesday auctioned off leases for new geothermal energy projects in California - and all 13 parcels offered received bids. Dozens of buyers participated in the Bureau of Land Management's online sale of 10-year leases on 23,000 acres in Imperial, Lassen and Modoc counties. Geothermal is a growing source of energy that can produce clean electricity 24 hours a day, unlike wind and solar power.
Typically the technology involves drilling wells into pockets of steam and hot water rising from the center of the Earth, which then spin turbines to generate power. Many experts see an expanded role for geothermal in addressing climate change, and say it could be key in meeting California's clean energy goals, including reaching carbon neutrality by 2045. California is already home to the world's largest geothermal field - the Geysers in Sonoma and Lake counties - as well as a major field in the Salton Sea area.
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