The following announcement by AltaRock is a big blow to the company and EGS in the U.S., and one can only hope that it will not delay overall work on EGS world wide.

“AltaAltaRock Energy Inc. has stopped its experimental geothermal drilling project at The Geysers in Lake County after running into difficult drilling conditions, the company said Wednesday.

AltaRock will continue working on its technology and look for other drilling locations, it said.

The deep drilling project prompted concerns from neighbors in Anderson Springs, who said it could trigger larger earthquakes in the area, which is already subject to shaking from geothermal development.

The Sausalito company and some seismologists said there is no increased risk of earthquakes from Alta Rock’s project.

Late last year, the project received $6.25 million in financing from the U.S. Energy Department. It proposed to produce renewable energy by fracturing heated rock at the bottom of a deep hole and pumping water through the cracks to generate steam.”

Source: Press Democrat, other more detailed article of the New York Times