Fleischmann’s Assessment of Washington State
In January of 2007, the Geothermal Energy Association’s assessment of Washington state was bleak. The full assessment is here. It is a good overview of respective state’s activity in looking at their geothermal potential.
Most agree that the use of geothermal resources in Washington State is vastly under-utilized. Despite numerous wells and springs, the state only uses geothermal heating for several small spas and resorts.
An Assessment of Geothermal Resource Development Needs inthe Western United StatesJanuary 2007Daniel J. FleischmannGeothermal Energy AssociationLike Oregon, Washington State is not a producer of oil and natural gas. In addition, exploration drilling for geothermal resources has been very limited, particularly due to the fact that its best resource areas reside at or near scenic areas and often involve USFS land. The areas in the state with the greatest potential for power development are in the Cascades. This includes the Mount Adams area in the southern Cascades, the Wind River area east of Vancouver and the Mount Baker area in the northern Cascades. There are several pending leases to explore these areas for geothermal electric power potential, however environmental restrictions limit where projects can be sited, and little progress has been made over the past few years.
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