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Ormat Technologies, Inc. announced it will accelerate geothermal exploration work this summer on Mount Spurr following Alaska Governor Sean Parnell’s signing of Senate Bill 243. Originally, the annual royalty rate paid from geothermal production on state lands was a minimum of 10% of gross revenues. This bill significantly reduces that rate to the same level paid on Federal land.
“Alaskans want to live and work where they have access to reliable and affordable energy,” said the bill’s sponsor Senator Lesil McGuire. “By reducing the royalty rate on geothermal power, we acknowledge the unusually high costs of geothermal development in Alaska but still protect the State’s interests. This bill will ultimately lower the cost of clean, reliable power to the ratepayers.”
“SB 243 provides the initial regulatory framework that is critical to attracting private sector investment capital necessary to develop Alaska's vast and very promising geothermal resources,” said Rep. Mike Hawker. “The geothermal resource in south-central Alaska has the potential to replace nearly one-third of our region’s electrical generation that is currently dependent upon a nearly depleted supply of natural gas from Cook Inlet. Geothermal resource development is one of the routes to our future energy security and SB 243 is the first step down that road.”
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 Earlier this year, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA) announced the release of the Canadian Geothermal Code for Public Reporting. The Canadian Geothermal Code for Public Reporting provides a minimum set of requirements for the public reporting of exploration results, geothermal resources, and geothermal reserves. The Code will provide a basis for transparency, consistency, and confidence in the public reporting of geothermal information.
The Canadian Geothermal Code for Public Reporting was prepared by the Canadian Geothermal Code Committee (CGCC), established in December 2008. The primary objectives determined by the Committee were to provide a reporting basis that would be satisfactory to investors, stakeholders, and capital markets such as the Canadian Securities Exchanges, and to develop a Code that would be applicable to geothermal plays in both Canada and internationally. The Code, a first in Canada, will serve to increase investor confidence and interest in the geothermal energy sector through the standardization of geothermal reporting. It is anticipated that public reporting using the Code will be undertaken by all CanGEA members involved in exploration and/or operation of geothermal properties. The use of the Code will be on a voluntary compliance basis (industry self-regulation) until 2011, when Code compliance will be a mandatory requirement for CanGEA membership.
The Canadian Geothermal Energy Association
www.cangea.ca
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 With over 1,000 existing wellbores and its 10,000-acre oil field, RMOTC offers its partners the unique opportunity to test their geothermal technologies while using existing oilfield infrastructure. RMOTC is a Department of Energy field test site for emerging and developing technologies to address critical energy issues. The field test site is an operating oil field offering a full complement of associated facilities and equipment located north of Casper, Wyoming. Field equipment includes a drill rig (shown) capable of drilling into the granite. RMOTC recently expanded its testing and demonstration of power production from low-temperature, co-produced oilfield waste water. With the existing geologic structure at RMOTC, promising potential exists for Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) testing. RMOTC can support multiple field-scale geothermal testing and demonstration.
www.rmotc.doe.gov
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 The educational materials offered by the Geothermal Education Office, for ages 11 through adult, are of the highest quality. Some have won national green power awards. Audio-visual and print materials for any non-technical staff, as well as for students and for community education, are available for use. Please visit the below websites for more information.
www.energyforkeeps.org | www.geothermal.marin.org
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 Thermochem leverages 25 years of experience in the geothermal industry to provide specialist testing equipment and instrumentation to field operators and power plants. This includes two-phase sampling separators, isokinetic sample probes, two-phase flow measurement systems, on-line steam purity and quality meters, acid-dosing and pH-control systems, and inhibitor dosing systems for sub-surface, production, and injection pipelines. Thermochem specializes in the design of steam wash systems to remove impurities that can scale and corrode turbine blades, from the first HCl-scrubbing systems at The Geysers to new Dry Steam Scrubbing technology for acid steam treatment. Thermochem designs, fabricates and supplies well testing packages including flow lines, instrumentation, atmospheric steam mufflers, and H2S abatement equipment. Pilot plants are supplied to evaluate and optimize power cycle options for each resource, which is critical at the design stage of any geothermal power project.
www.thermochem.com
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