May 22, 2006—US Geothermal, Inc., told its contractor last week to proceed with the engineering, procurement, and construction of a 10-megawatt geothermal power plant in central Idaho, reportedly the first geothermal power plant in the state. The Raft River Geothermal Project will be located about 10 miles north of the Utah border and will sell its power to the Idaho Power Company.
Ormat Nevada, Inc., is supplying the power plant, which will use the geothermal heat to vaporize an organic fluid. The organic vapor will spin a turbine that drives a generator to make electricity, and then the vapor will be condensed and reused in a binary cycle power plant, explains the company.
US Geothermal is a renewable energy development company that currently owns and leases approximately 8.2 square miles of land located at Raft River, Idaho. The company is negotiating long-term financing for the plant and expects to have it in place by June 1. The company plans to begin operating the power plant in mid to late 2007 and is also preparing plans for a second 20-megawatt plant at the site. For more information, visit the US Geothermal Web site.
