Bills advancing in Sacramento could spark geothermal boom in Mendocino County
The Mendocino Voice
Headed for the Senate Appropriations Committee this week are two state assembly bills that could spell out a big win for California geothermal energy projects, including thousands of new jobs in Mendocino County as power companies eye the region for geothermal.
Geof Syphers, CEO of not-for-profit power company Sonoma Clean Power, said California regulations to date have created financial barriers to develop geothermal energy in the state, making California reliant on Utah, Nevada and Colorado, even though the Golden State is ripe with its own natural energy sources.
“California has a permitting process for geothermal that is so risky that developers are saying we’re going to go everywhere else first and California last,” he said, noting that the state requires a full environmental review that can take anywhere from two to eight years. “You don’t even know if you want to invest in building a resource at the end of that, because you have to do the exploration before you can start your next environmental review.”
If the state were to pass these bills, Sonoma Clean Power would ramp up its GeoZone project, which would tap into geothermal energy within Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Read more here: Bills advancing in Sacramento could spark geothermal boom in Mendocino County • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA
