Green Light For Ormat’s 30MW Geothermal Giant: Nevada’s Desert Power Play

After months of regulatory wrangling, Ormat Nevada has finally secured Bureau of Land Management approval for its 30-MW Crescent Valley geothermal power plant in Nevada. The green light covers an impressive package: a single power plant, up to 17 geothermal wells, and all the bells and whistles needed to make steam turn into electricity.

Oh, and they’re throwing in some solar panels too, because why not double up on that desert sunshine?

When complete, this hot-rock energy factory will power more than 33,000 homes. Not too shabby for poking holes in the ground and capturing Earth’s natural heat. The project isn’t just about drilling, though. New roads, substations, switching stations, and those all-important transmission lines will connect this steamy power source to the folks who need it.

This project will yield electricity with minimal water usage compared to traditional power generation methods, making it particularly valuable in Nevada’s arid environment.

Unlike some of Ormat’s newer ventures, Crescent Valley wasn’t fast-tracked. The application has been collecting dust since 2022, well before the government decided renewable energy should move at something faster than glacial speed.

Future projects might zip through in weeks instead of years. Must be nice.

Nevada’s becoming quite the geothermal playground. The BLM is planning another massive lease sale in October 2025 – 112 parcels across 11 counties. That’s nearly 378,000 acres of potential steam-powered goodness up for grabs.

What makes these projects worth the trouble? Simple. Unlike solar panels that become useless paperweights at sunset, or wind turbines that stop when the air does, geothermal plants churn out electricity 24/7. Reliability matters.

Ormat’s bringing its fancy proprietary tech to the party, naturally. The company recently purchased Blue Mountain geothermal power plant for $88 million to expand its portfolio. The project will also include developing an aggregate pit to support construction operations. The hybrid approach – marrying solar with geothermal – shows they’re not just digging holes and hoping for the best.

For Nevada, it’s another step toward its climate goals and energy independence. For the 33,000 homes getting power? They probably couldn’t care less where it comes from, as long as the lights turn on.

And that’s the whole point.