Accelerating Clean Energy Geothermal Development on Public Lands
Fervo Cape Geothermal Power Project
The Fervo Cape Geothermal Power Project is an enhanced geothermal system that produces energy by injecting water into hot subsurface rock formations and then extracting the heated water to generate electricity, rather than depending on naturally occurring underground hot water like traditional geothermal systems. If fully developed, the project will cover approximately 631 acres, including 148 acres on public lands, and produce up to 2 gigawatts of clean energy. Additional information on the project is available at the BLM National NEPA Register.
Proposed Categorical Exclusion
Today BLM is proposing a new categorical exclusion (CX) that would help accelerate the discovery of new geothermal resources. The CX would apply to geothermal resource confirmation operations plan of up to 20 acres, which can include drilling wells (e.g., core drilling, temperature gradient wells, and/or resource wells) to confirm the existence of a geothermal resource, to improve injection support, or to demonstrate connections between wells. It will be published in the Federal Register in the coming days to begin a 30-day public comment period.
Today’s permitting proposal would help accelerate the discovery of new geothermal resources throughout the West, especially in states like Nevada, home to some of the largest undeveloped geothermal potential in the country.
Currently, geothermal developers must conduct two separate environmental reviews: one for initial exploration drilling and another to fully test the geothermal resource, even if both have similar environmental impacts. The proposal would apply only to geothermal resource confirmation operations on public lands and split estates. Further geothermal development would still require additional environmental analysis. Based on previous DOE analysis, these permitting actions could significantly reduce permitting timelines and capital costs of geothermal deployment.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act, categorical exclusions (CXs) are categories of actions that typically do not have significant impacts on the human environment. When used appropriately, CXs eliminate the need for an environmental assessment (EA) as part of the permitting process. CXs cannot be applied in cases with special circumstances, such as potential impacts to endangered species, in which case an EA must still be conducted.
As of October 2024, the Biden-Harris administration has approved 42 renewable energy projects on public lands (10 solar, 14 geothermal, and 18 gen-ties) and exceeded the goal to permit 25 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2025. In total, the BLM has permitted clean energy projects on public lands with a total capacity of nearly 32 gigawatts of power – enough to power more than 14.5 million homes. This is the latest action as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to improve the federal permitting process and accelerate project reviews.
