The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Nevada generated $13,888 during its competitive geothermal lease sale held in Reno on Nov. 19. The total area comprised 3,316 acres in four parcels, three in Churchill County and one in Pershing County. The high sale bid on each of the four parcels was $2 per acre. Three of the parcels were sold to Ormat Nevada Inc., and one was sold to Colorado-based Presco Energy, LLC.
Geothermal leases are issued for a 10-year primary term. Annual rental for a competitive lease is $2 per acre for the first year, and $3 per acre for lease years 2 through 10. Annual rental for a noncompetitive lease is $1 per acre for lease years 1-10. Additional environmental analysis would need to be conducted to receive permits to drill or build a facility to develop the energy from the geothermal source.
The BLM offered six parcels totaling 6,260.46 acres. A complete summary of the parcels offered and the winning bids is available at http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/
The BLM Nevada is accepting land nominations until January 31, 2014 for parcels to be included in the next geothermal sale, which is tentatively scheduled for September 10, 2014. The BLM reviews nominated parcels for availability, environmental and cultural concerns prior to being placed on the sale list.
