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2 Iceland Reserves Update on Near-Term Geothermal Potential in Nevada by Lisa Shevenell 1, Christy Morris 2, and David Blackwell 3 1 Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy, 2 Nevada Division of Minerals, 3 Southern Methodist University In May 2008, the minimum, near-term geothermal potential in Nevada was summarized on the following chart, based on available information at that time. As more information becomes available, reserve estimates will undoubtedly increase. The available information included data on the website at the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG), permitting information at the Nevada Division of Minerals (NDOM, responsible for geothermal permitting), heat-loss estimates from Wisian et al. (2001), the GeothermEx PIER report (Klein et al., 2004), and results of the Western Governor s Association (WGA) geothermal-reserve estimates workshop from the summer of As an initial pass, all sites for which there is any description on the NBMG website ( unr.edu/geothermal/listsites.php) were included as having some level of potential based on at least some limited knowledge of the areas (see first listings in accompanying table). Note that there are many more sites that are known in Nevada that do not have a site description on this website because little, or nothing, is known about these additional sites. Additional sites that were known to be under evaluation or development, based on August 2007 lease data, but which were not listed in the NBMG site-description list, are listed in the second group. Additional sites beyond these, some under development and some not, are listed in the third group. Finally, the fourth group of sites lists those recently discovered by researchers at the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy and described at: edu/geothermal/tgrad.html. When the NDOM had a permit or knowledge of an existing or pending power-purchase agreement as of March 2008, the number of MW noted there were used; these numbers are noted in Red on the chart. NDOM emphasizes that these values represent conservative early- and preliminary-development activity and will change depending on further resource development. If there was no estimate from NDOM, the calculated heat-loss values of Wisian et al. (2001; and Blackwell, unpublished) were used and are noted in Orange. These numbers may be maxima for Basin and Range systems because, of the known systems currently producing power: five produce less than the measured heat loss, one produces at about the same as the heat loss (Steamboat), and two produce above the measured heat loss (Dixie Valley and Bradys), although the latter three do not have high-quality data from which to evaluate the systems. If the heat-loss values were more than twice the GeothermEx PIER or WGA values, the PIER numbers, which are shown in Green, were preferentially used over the WGA values (most heat-loss values were less than WGA estimates). If none of the aforementioned were available, the WGA estimate from 2005 was used and noted in Blue. When none of these estimates were available, assumptions of 5 or 10 MW were used as nominal-base cases and are shown in Black. Both assumptions are less than the average output of the current power plants of 28.2 MW, and of the permitted plants of 21 MW. In the 10 MW each column of the chart, it is assumed that all listed sites could produce 10 MW if no other information was known. Similarly in the 5 MW each column of the table, it is assumed that all sites could produce 5 MW if no other information was known. These sites, without any other available data, were grouped and summed for either 10 or 5 MW and are listed in the first row of the chart (total sites = 170). The first two columns of estimates include all the known sites in the groups noted above. The second two columns contain a reduced number of sites based on the following criteria. If the site descriptions on the NBMG web site indicated either the measured temperature was >50 C or a geothermometer temperature was >100 C, then the site was retained in the list. If neither were the case, the site was omitted from the last two columns. If no information on either temperature was available, the site was also removed from the list (sites remaining = 78). Of the 170 NBMG sites for which a 5 or 10 MW assumption was made in lieu of any other available numbers, 78 remained in the list to be counted toward the totals noted at the end of the table. Hence, 92 sites either didn t meet the temperature criteria or had insufficient information available from which to make a determination. Based on these assumptions, the minimum number of known, developable, geothermal resources in the near term with current technology (under suitable political, regulatory, and economic conditions) is 1,730 MW, and likely closer to 2,170 MW. This >1,730 MW of new, geothermal-energy generation will be an important contributor to the energy supply of Nevada, which has an aggressive renewable-portfolio standard that requires Sierra Pacific and Nevada Power Companies to produce 20% of their power from renewable energy by If all of this >1,730 MW from geothermal energy is brought May / June

3 Iceland Reserves on-line by 2015, geothermal would account for 18-23% of Nevada s needed electrical capacity in 2015, based on an assumed 2% annual increased need in electricity starting with the 8,200 MW state-wide capacity reported for 2007 by the Nevada State Energy Office. Geothermal energy clearly has the potential to displace significant amounts of fossil fuels and provide Nevada with clean, indigenous, base loadrenewable power, improving our economy, quality of life, and national security. References Klein, C.W., J.W. Lovekin, and S.K. Sanyal, Public Interest Energy Research (PIER); New Geothermal Site Identification and Qualification. GeothermEx Report to the California Energy Commission, energy.ca.gov/reports/ PDF, 264 p. Wisian, K.W., D. Blackwell, and M. Richards, Correlation of Surface Heat Loss and Total Energy Production for Geothermal Systems. Geothermal Resources Council Transactions, Vol. 25: n KEY: Red DOM Permits or PPA Orange Wisian and Blackwell heat-loss calculations Green GeothermEx PIER Blue WGA estimates Black Assumed nominal 5 or 10 MW Sites Described on the NBMG Web Site NBMG Sites Grouped¹ Adobe Valley Alum Aurora Baltazor Hot Springs Beowawe Geysers Blue Mountain Bradys Hot Springs Buffalo Valley Hot Springs Carson Lake Corral Colado Delcer Buttes Desert Peak Dixie Valley Double Hot Springs- Black Rock Hot Springs Dyke Hot Springs Eightmile Flat Elevenmile Canyon Ely Excelsior Fallon Naval Air Station Fireball Ridge Fish Lake Valley (continued on next page) 30 GRC Bulletin

4 Iceland Reserves Fly Ranch Gerlach Hawthorne Hazen Hot Creek Canyon Hot Creek Springs Hot Springs near Deeth Hot Sulphur Springs (Tuscarora) Hyder Hot Springs Jersey Valley Kyle Hot Springs Leach Hot Springs Lee Hot Springs Macfarlanes Bath House Spring McGee Mountain McCoy New York Canyon North Valley Northern Smith Creek Valley Owyhee Recon Pinto Hot Springs Pirouette Mountain Preston Springs Pyramid Ralston Ruby Valley Rye Patch San Emidio Desert Silver Peak Hot Springs Soda Lake Sou Hot Springs Southern Big Smoky Valley Steamboat Hot Springs Stillwater Sulphur Hot Springs Surprise Valley Hot Spring Temoak Tracy (continued on next page) May / June

5 Iceland Reserves Wabuska Hot Springs White Pine Wilson Hot Spring Sites Being Developed Leased Aug. 07 Beowawe 2 Between Darroughs and Big Blue Dixie Valley 2 Grass Valley North of Big Blue, South of Spencer Seven Devils Other Sites not Listed on NBMG Site Antelope Big Smokey Valley Cresent Valley Dry Lake Fallon/Carson Lake Fish Lake (Emigrant) Pumpernickel Valley Rose Creek Shoshone-Reese River Trinity Mountains New Blind Sites 3 McGinniss Hills Tungsten Mountain Desert Queen Teels Marsh Rhodes Marsh Total MW Average MW All 182 NBMG listed sites for which the assumption of 10 and 5 MW was used in lieu of specific data. 2 Expansions; WGA estimates listed above. 3 KEY: Red DOM Permits or PPA Orange Wisian and Blackwell heat-loss calculations Green GeothermEx PIER Blue WGA estimates Black Assumed nominal 5 or 10 MW 32 GRC Bulletin