CITY OF RENO NEWS RELEASE
From Aug. 16 to 17, the GEA National Geothermal Summit will convene industry and government leaders in one of the world’s most important geothermal business centers, Reno, Nev.
The event will feature a welcome address from the Honorable Bob Cashell, mayor of Reno. Summit attendees will discuss key opportunities for the geothermal energy industry, as well as challenges to its success and growth.
“The city of Reno is proud to have 100 megawatts of geothermal power, enough to supply the entire residential load, permitted and being produced within the city limits. We are excited that experts from around the country and world are coming to Reno to learn more about geothermal development,” Cashell said.
Paul Thomsen, GEA board president and director for Ormat Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Reno, remarked, “Geothermal energy provides clean, domestic, base-load electricity to Nevada and the nation. In order to unleash the vast geothermal potential, we must streamline the permitting process. GEA’s estimated 144 projects in development will require $26 billion in capital, if they can get through the permitting process to construction. This national summit will address these pressing issues.”
Reno is home to a significant portion of GEA members, making the “Biggest Little City in the World” one of the most important geothermal business communities in the United States. There are currently 21 operating geothermal power plants in Nevada with a total operating capacity of 441.8 MW. With more developing projects than any other state, it is expected that Nevada’s geothermal generating capacity will increase significantly in the future.
The total installed capacity of the United States is approximately 3,102 MW, enough to power over 2 million homes–or the residential populations of San Francisco, Portland and Seattle combined. Currently, geothermal electric power generation occurs in nine U.S. states including Nevada, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.
The National Geothermal Academy is also based in Reno and opened in June 2011. The consortium of geothermal schools including the University of Nevada, MIT, Cornell, Stanford, Oregon Institute of Technology and University of Utah, is the first geothermal energy training program of its kind in the nation.
Topics for the summit include outlooks for Washington D.C. and the western states, building new transmission projects in the west, new renewable energy policy developments in California and moving geothermal forward on public lands. An expo hall will feature government agencies, universities and leading geothermal developers from the growing geothermal industry. GEA’s first annual GEA Honors Awards will also be presented at the summit.
The GEA National Geothermal Summit has been made possible by Gold Level Sponsors Ormat and Stoel Rives, LLP, and co-sponsors the city of Reno and Western Area Power Administration.
For details on attendee registration, event agenda, and floor plan visit
http://www.geo-energy.org/nationalgeothermalsummit/main.aspx.
For information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kathy Kent at 202.454.5263 or [email protected].
