Geothermal - Utah

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Geothermal - Utah

• Program Drivers
• Areas of Geothermal Potential Prospectively
  Valuable and Known Geothermal Resource Areas
  (KGRA)
• Land Use Plans
• Leasing Competitive Noncompetitive
• Exploration and Development
  
  

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Program Drivers

• Laws, regulations (43CFR3200) exploration,
  leasing, operations, utilization, units, etc.
• National Energy Policy, BLM Implementation Plan,
  Tasks
• BLM Mineral Policy

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Minerals Policy

• Public Lands not withdrawn will be available for
  exploration development
• Encourage private industry to explore and develop
  resources
• Timely Process Permits

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Minerals Policy

• Ensure land use plans recognize mineral
  development and reflect current information
• Ensure proper resource recovery and maintain an
  efficient IE program
• Maintain personnel knowledgeable in mineral
  extraction

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Geothermal Potential

• Known Geothermal Resource Area (KGRA)
• Prospectively Valuable
• Recent and Past Studies
• 1) National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  (NREL) DOE 2003
• 2) UGS Geothermal Resources of Utah Open File
  Report 3972002
• 3) USGS Circular 790 1978

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Utah KGRAs

• Prior to September 1, 1988, Utah maintained
  127,853 acres in KGRAs. After a 1988 lease sale
  (competitive interest), only 58,484 acres
  remained.
• Current KGRAs (59,125ac) are
• 1) Cove Fort Sulphurdale (24,853ac)
• 2) Crater Hot Springs (8,320ac)
• 3) Roosevelt Hot Springs (25,311ac)
• 4) Thermo Hot Springs (641ac)

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Prospectively Valuable

• Lands prospectively valuable for geothermal
  resources total approximately 5.7 million acres
• Located throughout Utah

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Land Use Plans

• Plans are an allocation of resources What lands
  are available for leasing with what restrictions
  (stipulations).
• Current Plans Will be Used.
• Supplemental Program Guidance Minerals input
  into planning process. Potential, occurrence,
  RFD, and stipulations.
• Scheduled Updates and Revisions of Plans
  Identified as having near term potential.
• Participation everyone invited

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Schedule

• Planning Areas Identified with Near Term
  Potential
• 1) Cedar, Beaver, Garfield, Antimony, RMP -
  1984
• 2) Warm Springs Resource Area RMP 1987
• 3) House Range Resource Area RMP 1986
• New Plan for Cedar City Field Office 2005
• New Plan for Fillmore Field Office not
  scheduled

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Leasing

• Competitive Process
• 1) Un-leased Lands within KGRA
  
• 2) NEPA review
• 3) Sealed Bid, Evaluation, SGFI
• Noncompetitive Process
• 1) All other lands
• 2) File Application
• 3) NEPA review, SGFI

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Leasing Figures Public Land States

• Arizona - One noncompetitive lease 1240 ac
• California -
  16
  noncompetitive leases 13,280 ac and
  68 competitive leases
  95,132 ac
• New Mexico - 6 noncompetitive leases 7081 ac

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Leasing Figures Public Land States

• Nevada -
  177
  noncompetitive leases 268,916 ac and
  72 competitive leases
  90,375 ac
• Oregon -
  49
  noncompetitive leases 48,648 ac and
  10 competitive leases 6463
  ac
• Utah
  
  2 noncompetitive leases 1988 ac and
  10 competitive
  leases 10,902 ac

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Exploration and Development Permitting

• Exploration Operations (3250)
• Drilling Operations (3260)
• Utilization Operations (3270)
• Unitization (3280)
• Proposed action is filed by applicant BLM
  reviews proposal, prepares NEPA compliance
  record, and issues decision.

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Exploration and Development Permitting

• Exploration operations (3250) are activities
  associated with the search for evidence of the
  geothermal resource. Such activities may include
  geophysical operations, and gradient holes.

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Exploration and Development Permitting

• Drilling Operations (3260) are the drilling of
  wells for the purpose of performing flow tests,
  producing geothermal fluids, or injecting fluids
  into a geothermal reservoir. Geothermal Drilling
  Permit requirements are contained in this part.

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Exploration and Development Permitting

• Utilization operations (3270) are the permitting
  and operating procedures for the utilization of
  geothermal resources. This includes electrical
  generation facilities, direct use facilities,
  related utilization facility operations, actual
  and allocated well field production and
  injection, and related well field operations.

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Exploration and Development Permitting

• Requirements for plan of utilization,
  construction permit, site license, commercial use
  permit are include in these regulations.
• Unitization (3280) is the process of voluntary
  pooling of interest to develop a logical area of
  development.

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Utah Organization

• Utah State Office, Division of Lands and Minerals
  Records, leasing, agreements determinations,
  policy guidance.
• Field Offices Planning, operational approvals
  and compliance.