EIS of Gerlach geothermal project available for review
Gerlach, Nevada (source: Patrick Nouhailler / flickr, Creative Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
1 Nov 2022
The Environmental Assessment of the proposed geothermal exploration and drilling at the Gerlach lease area in Nevada is open for public review.
The Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of the proposed geothermal exploration project at the Gerlach Geothermal Lease Unit in Washoe County, Nevada has been completed and is now open for public review. The document can be viewed via this link. The document was issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Black Rock Field Office.
The Environmental Analysis was done to assess the effects of the proposal of Ormat Nevada Inc. to construct, operate, and maintain the Gerlach Geothermal Exploration Project. This includes the drilling and testing of wells, as well as the construction of access roads.
Ormat had originally proposed a geothermal development plant for Gerlach but withdrew it after the 60-day pre-scoping period held from October to December 2020. Instead, Ormat submitted an operations plan for geothermal exploration, which is the subject of this environmental assessment. As part of this project, Ormat is planning to drill and test up to 19 geothermal exploration wells, data from which will be used to determine the viability of a commercial geothermal resource.
Source: Bureau of Land Management
