Friday, November 15, 2013

USA, California:

Sonoma Clean Power Eyes Geothermal from The Geysers (northbaybusinessjournal.com)

Calpine deal would supplement other sources.


Sonoma County’s startup public power agency is set to consider the purchase a portion of its electricity supply locally from the Geysers, the world’s largest complex of geothermal power plants located along the Sonoma and Lake County border, according to material presented to the agency’s governing board.

The contract with Calpine would constitute approximately 10 percent of Sonoma Clean Power’s electricity through 2023, ramping up to 18 megawatts — 158,000 megawatt-hours annually — as the renewable energy-focused power provider increases its customer volume in the coming years. Houston-based Calpine operates 15 geothermal power plants at The Geysers, with a combined capacity of 725 MWe.

The Sonoma Clean Power Authority is scheduled to consider the agreement on Nov. 21. Staff have been pre-authorized to go forward with the separate primary contract without full board approval, with a decision expected in the coming weeks.

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