A geothermal power plant located about one mile from the community of Anderson Springs was approved Thursday by the Lake County Planning Commission for a use permit extension which will endure for the entire productive life of the project.
The Bear Canyon Power Plant is owned by Calpine Corporation and has been out of service since 2015. When in operation, the plant, according to Environmental Planner Eric Porter, can generate enough power to serve 10,000 homes, representing 20 percent of Lake County’s geothermal energy output. Calpine is currently undecided about whether or not the plant will be put back into service, but as Regional Manager Bruce Carlsen suggested, a “life of project” permit is better for business than a time-restricted one. “We think ‘life of the project’ is really good for our business,” Carlsen said. Calpine, which had been a publicly traded entity, went private earlier in 2018.
The Bear Canyon plant would not, under the permit issued Thursday, be allowed to expand or change the plant’s operations, and Environmental Planner Eric Porter, who presented Calpine’s request, commented that the plant was “not changing in size.” Under the permit issued, Calpine can resume operation of the plant if the company sees fit, or in the case that “reclamation” was decided on, Calpine would demolish the structures already present on the property.
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Calpine is a Gold sponsor of the GRC Annual Meeting & Expo, 14-17 October at the Peppermill Resort Spa & Casino, Reno, Nevada, USA.
Calpine is a Gold sponsor of the GRC Annual Meeting & Expo, 14-17 October at the Peppermill Resort Spa & Casino, Reno, Nevada, USA.
