State of Nevada Jobs Created by Funding for Geothermal Projects
An effort to develop geothermal energy could help create more than 1,000 State of Nevada jobs.
Sen. Harry Reid recently announced that Nevada will receive more than $90 million from the Department of Energy for geothermal technology projects.
The funding, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is expected to create about 1,100 jobs throughout the state. Of the projects, 20 in Nevada will receive $72.4 million, while five from Reno-based companies outside the state will receive $20.5 million.
Those projects, which will include everything from exploration to using wastewater to increase the power of low-temperature geothermal sources, will focus on using heat from the Earth to make steam and create electricity.
"I can remember the first time I traveled as a young man between Reno and Carson City," Reid said. "I had never seen anything like that. Steam coming out of the ground. We are going to harness that steam."
There are currently about 300 megawatts of geothermal energy production in Nevada, and an additional 200 megawatts are expected to be developed by 2012. However, it has been estimated that there are as many as 3,000 megawatts of energy available from geothermal sources in Nevada, but developing all of that power could cost about $12 billion.
Most of the geothermal resources in Nevada are located in the northern portion of the state, meaning a new transmission line would have to be developed in order to move power to the southern portion of the state. NV Energy officials have said they could ask the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada for approval of such a measure by November.
The federal government will provide a total of $338 million throughout the country to be spent on similar projects. In addition, private companies are expected to invest $353 million in matching funds. The ultimate goal, according to officials, is to catch up with other nations, such as China, which is spending up to $9 billion per month on developing renewable energy sources.