US adopts emergency procedures to speed up geothermal energy development

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on Friday that it would implement emergency permitting procedures in order to expedite the review of geothermal development projects.

Three projects in Nevada, led by Ormat and funded in 2020 under the first Trump administration as part of research and development, will be expedited.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that geothermal energy can be a reliable source of energy to power critical infrastructures for national security, and also help to advance energy independence. "We are accelerating reliable energy projects, while strengthening the national security and supporting American Workers."

In the first few days of President Donald Trump’s presidency, the Trump administration declared "energy emergencies" which allowed him to take a number of steps in order to speed up or bypass lengthy environmental reviews and permit processes for oil and natural gas production and mining.

The emergency order does not apply to solar or wind power, but to geothermal energy, which is a renewable form of energy that harnesses the heat produced within the Earth to generate electricity, heat, and cooling.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has previously invested into geothermal company Fervo Energy.

The U.S. Geological Survey released a report last week that stated that geothermal power in the Great Basin Nevada and adjacent states could provide electricity equal to 10% of current U.S. supply. (Reporting and editing by Chizu Nomiyama; Katharine Jackson)

(source: Reuters)