US Geothermal estimates that the planned project will create 150 jobs during the 20-month construction period and employ 10 skilled full-time workers when it begins operating in 2012. The project’s output will be sold to Idaho Power under a long-term power purchase agreement.
DOE said that the project will use an improved technology to extract energy from rock and fluids in the earth’s crust. The technology, referred to as a supercritical binary geothermal cycle, is estimated to be more efficient than traditional geothermal binary systems, allowing lower-temperature geothermal resources to be used for power generation.
Steven Chu, secretary of DOE, said: “Our nation needs to transition to cleaner energy sources, and supporting innovative projects and new technologies like this is an important part of the equation. This project will create jobs while providing clean, baseload energy to help power America’s homes.”
