Geothermal comes to Fallon

Sierra Pacific Resources and Ormat Nevada are teaming up to develop the Carson Lake geothermal energy project near Fallon. The companies announced its joint ownership agreement on March 26.

Ormat is currently drilling to determine how big the project will be, but it’s expected to generate more than 30 megawatts, which would be enough to power about 30,000 homes. The site is on Bureau of Land Management and Navy land and next to the Fallon Naval Air Station.

Nevada Power claims that this is “the first time a utility and a geothermal developer have joined forces to expand geothermal energy and co-develop a geothermal project.”

Ormat Technologies, a Reno-based subsidiary of Ormat Nevada, operates geothermal projects internationally, as well as the geothermal plant in Steamboat, south of Reno.