BLM authorizes Fervo Energy for Utah geothermal exploration

Wasatch Mountains, Utah (source: Ken Lund / flickr, Creative Commons)

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has authorized Escalante Desert Resources LLC (ERC), a subsidiary of Fervo Energy, to proceed with the proposed Cape Modern Geothermal Exploration Project in Beaver County, northeast of Milford, Utah. The purpose of this exploration is to determine the commercial feasibility of geothermal power production in Beaver County.

The Area of Interest (AOI) for the proposed project consists of approximately 5,641 acres of federal geothermal leases and two split-estate private geothermal leases located north-northeast of Milford in Beaver County, Utah. As part of the plan for the Cape Modern Geothermal Exploration Project, up to 29 geothermal wells will be drilled in the exploration area. This will also involve access road construction, reservoir monitoring, and sub-surface mapping.

The development strategy of DRE involves the drilling of multiple horizontal injection and production wells. This maximizes efficiency and access to permeability with minimal impact to the environment. Several vertical observation wells will also be drilled for the purpose of measuring the formation temperature and lithologic structure. These can potentially host fiber optic cables or downhole geophones for data acquisition.

DRE expects that approximately 21 horizontal wells and 8 vertical wells will be drilled in succession. Development of the geothermal resources for production purposes would require a separate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis.

BLM had previously authorized Ormat Technologies Inc. through Ormat Nevada to proceed with the Bailey Mountain Geothermal Exploration Project which is also located in Beaver County, Utah.

Source: Bureau of Land Management