BLM Nevada geothermal lease sale receives more than $1 million bids

Carson City, Nevada (source: flickr/ ScottSchrantz, creative commons)

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Nevada has received a total amount of $1,025,396 in bids after a competitive geothermal lease sale held on 14 November 2023. There were 13 registered bidders for the auctions, and 33 parcels out of a total of 46 that were received bids.

The successful bidders and the number of parcels they won are as follows:

• PHOTOSOL US LLC (5 parcels)
• Norte Geothermal LLC (4 parcels)
• Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals LLC (6 parcels)
• TLS Geothermics Corp. (8 parcels)
• Ormat Technologies (5 parcels)
• FLHN 1 LLC (3 parcels)
• Rodatherm Enegry Corporation (1 parcel)
• Baseload Power U.S. (1 parcel)

The highest bid per parcel and per acre were made for parcel NV-2023-11-1968,  for an amount of $130 per acre or $324,220 total. The bid was won by Ormat Technologies.

Geothermal leases are for an initial 10-year period with 50 percent of the funds disbursed to the state, 25 percent is disbursed to the respective county, and 25 percent remaining in the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The BLM manages public lands for many uses, including sustainable energy development. The leased parcels undergo a detailed environmental analysis that includes three opportunities for involvement: scoping, public comment and protest periods. In addition, each lease, if issued, contains standard stipulations to protect endangered species and cultural resources and ensures that development is safe and environmentally responsible. After parcels are leased, lessees must submit site-specific proposals for additional in-depth analysis before energy development can begin.

Source: BLM Nevada