2009 Washington State Geothermal Wrap up
Washington state moved along with the pack as geothermal had one of its best years in decades. Nationally, 6 plants came on line and another 144 are under development. In Washington State, it is the sole project of Vulcan Power (not related to Paul Allen’s Vulcan of Seattle) that is looking to develop a resource on the east side of Mt. Baker.
Little has happened of note following the Alta-Rock access to rights beneath 263,000 acres of timber property in Western Washington. Nor has Seattle City Light moved to take on any resource development.
However, SnoPud continues to be a leader and moves forward with their geothermal development in the Cascades. They received $15 Million in federal funding for their innovative energy work in not only geothermal, but also tidal and smart meters.
The June 3rd Geothermal Workshop in Seattle was successful with lots of Canadian attention coming down from Vancouver.
State Senator Kline is committed to re-introducing his geothermal bill in the 2010 Legislature in Olympia.
However, the state remains in need of a deep borehole in the Cascades for some accurate assessments on the resource potential.
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