USA, California, Oregon:

Co-op Tests Low-Heat Geothermal
(National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)

An electric cooperative in California and the Department of Energy are joining forces to build an unconventional geothermal well in a tiny Oregon town.

A California co-op tests water flow and
production at one of two geothermal wells. (Photo By: Lynn Culp)
(Courtesy - National Rural Electric Cooperative Association) 

Surprise Valley Electrification Corp., Alturas, is conducting water flow and production tests at the geothermal well, located on a member-owned cattle ranch in Paisley, Oregon, just across the border separating the two states.

Plans call for the 1,200-foot well to come on-line in February 2013 and generate 2 megawatts of power. DOE awarded the co-op a $2 million stimulus grant towards the $9.5 million project.

The tests, which began last summer, appear to be going well, with DOE noting that “preliminary indications show promising results in terms of temperature on their production well.”

That’s good news for the facility, which DOE calls a “low-temperature project.” In recent years, these small-scale wells have become more popular, opening up a large potential market, particularly in rural areas.

“They’re typically smaller units, and you can find more places with low-temperature water than high-temperature water,” said Dan Silveria, the co-op’s general manager.

More tests and more steam at one of two
geothermal wells. (Photo By: Lynn Culp) 

Just how low is low? In typical geothermal plants, water temperatures need to be at least 360 degrees Fahrenheit to generate enough steam to make electricity. In the Surprise Valley well, which engineers call a binary plant, the water is a comparatively chilly 239 degrees and will need a heat exchanger to reach proper temperatures.

The co-op, which had known about the well since the 1980s, decided to develop the renewable source after the Bonneville Power Administration announced “it couldn’t serve future load growth,” Silveria said.

“We thought we should do something now to keep the resource in member hands,” Silveria said.

After the well comes on-line, ranch owners Mark and Erin Douglas hope the well’s residual power can heat community buildings, a tilapia fish farm, and other projects.

“We were just never comfortable with any other companies” as developers, Mark Douglas told the Klamath Falls, Ore., Herald and News. “This was just a better fit. For the community, I think it’s a great gift, too.”