December 4, 2006—A new survey from the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) reports some 58 new geothermal energy projects currently under development in the US—the US geothermal industry’s “most dramatic wave of expansion since the 1980s,” according to the GEA. When completed, these projects will almost double installed US geothermal power capacity to over 5,000 MW, says the GEA.
“The good news is that federal and state incentives to promote geothermal energy are paying off. We are seeing a geothermal power renaissance in the US,” stated Karl Gawell, GEA’s Executive Director. “The bad news is that some projects are already being put on hold because of the impending deadline for the federal production tax credit,” he added, arguing that the PTC deadline “urgently needs to be extended.”
Compared to a March survey by GEA, the new survey adds a dozen new geothermal energy projects and adds Alaska to the list of states producing geothermal power. The new GEA survey identifies power projects under development in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah, and classifies their stage of development.
