Recharge News has a report on a new geothermal power plant opening in southern California - EnergySource starts 50MW geothermal plant at Salton Sea.

A 49.9MW geothermal plant came on line this month, tapping heat from the Salton Sea field, a proven geothermal resource area that hasn't seen a new generator in more than two decades.

The developer, EnergySource, already has a power purchase agreement for a second plant in the southern California area.
"With this team and so much available capacity in this resource, we have a development pipeline of new geothermal projects for the coming decade that will help California and Southwestern utilities meet their state-mandated renewable energy requirements,” says chief executive Dave Watson.

The $400m Hudson Ranch 1, under construction since May 2010, draws on what EnergySource describes as "one of the largest and highest temperature geothermal resources in North America", with an "extremely permeable liquid dominated resource". Two of the plant's three production wells draw enough steam to generate more than 40MW each -- "among the largest producers in the world" -- while a third is capable of more than 15MW.

“The Salton Sea geothermal resource is robust, with 326MW in 10 existing projects currently operating at a capacity factor substantially greater than 90%, with a development potential of 1,400MW or more,” says Dr. Subir Sanyal of GeothermEx, a resource consultant for the project's financiers.

Business Week reports that NZ geothermal power company Might River is expanding across the Pacific to Chile - N.Z.’s Mighty River Plans to Open First Chilean Plant by 2013

Mighty River Power Ltd., operator of the world’s largest single-turbine geothermal generator, expects its Chilean venture to start operating by 2013.

Drilling next summer will help refine the concept for a 70- megawatt, $220 million project at Tolhuaca, southeast of Concepcion, Mighty River Chief Executive Officer Doug Heffernan said in an interview in Wellington today. Construction may take three years, assuming some time is lost to winter snow, he said.

“Three years from the end of this year you could have a plant operating,” Heffernan said. “A minimum of two years and likely three years.”

Chile is encouraging development of new power sources after suffering shortages as Argentina reduced natural gas supplies. Mighty River, working through Denver, Colorado-based associate GeoGlobal Energy LLC, has gained access to five potential steamfields in competition with rival developers including Italy’s Enel SpA, state-owned refiner Empresa Nacional de Petroleo and London-based miner Antofagasta Plc.

The National Business review has an article on the expanding geothermal power industry in New Zealand - Mighty River Power tests $430m geothermal project, lodges consent for another.

Mighty River Power is a step closer to completing its $430 million Nga Awa Purua geothermal power station and has lodged consents for another $400 million geothermal station at Ngatamariki, near Taupo.

The state-owned company said testing at Nga Awa Purua was conducted over the weekend and electricity was added to the national grid.

The 132 MW station north east of Taupo, is a joint venture between Mighty River and the Tauhara North No. 2 Trust and is a welcome new addition to electricity reliability to the peak North Island, the company said.

Maximum output, expected in April, will provide power to 130,000 homes – or the equivalent of every home in Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua and Taupo. Until then, testing will continue, with electricity added to the grid in stages.

The planned station at Ngatamariki, 17 kilometres north east of Taupo, is also in partnership with the trust.

Mighty River Power chief executive Doug Heffernan said it had been fortunate to develop a cooperative business model with Maori Land Trust partners, including Tauhara North No. 2 Trust, that enabled such projects to be feasible, given the significant capital investment needed.

“At $430 million for Nga Awa Purua; $300 million for Kawerau; and at least $400 million for Ngatamariki, its easy to see how we are nearing the end of our initial $1.2 billion geothermal investment programme,” he said.

“These are great projects that are providing a secure source of renewable electricity to help power the New Zealand economy.”

Stuff.co.nz has an article on the latest geothermal power plants in New Zealand, noting the rapid growth rate (and potential for) this energy source - Geothermal electricity powers on.

Geothermal power production could double in the next few years to about 10 per cent of demand - and it will be cheaper than wind power, says Mighty River Power. State-owned Mighty River's new $300 million, 100-megawatt Kawerau geothermal power station is fully operational. It is next to the Norske Skog pulp and paper mill, a big power user in the region.

Mighty River will consider building another similar-sized plant in the same area, says chief executive Doug Heffernan. Kawerau, in the eastern Bay of Plenty, is the biggest geothermal development in New Zealand in 20 years. The geothermal field is expected to run for at least 50 years, or as long as anyone wants to keep a power station at the site.

Mighty River said the field had further development potential, but it would find out in the next year or two how it responded to the new plant before deciding on another power station.

Mighty River also has pre-construction work under way at its planned $450 million, 132-megawatt Rotokawa geothermal power station, which is due to be running in 2010. Mr Heffernan said the geothermal business would be significant on a global scale, especially because geothermal plants tended to be near existing electricity transmission lines, unlike remote wind farm sites.

"We see geothermal capacity more than doubling in the next five years or so," he said. Through to 2015, increased power demand should be met by geothermal plants and more wind. "More plants are being built than needed, which is a good thing," he said.

The economics on geothermal were "very attractive" compared with other options, but that related to well-known existing steam fields, rather than untested sites.

Rotokawa is just north of Taupo and east of the Wairakei power station, which was the world's second geothermal power plant when commissioned in 1958. Contact Energy has plans for two geothermal stations near Taupo, costing about $1 billion. The first, Te Mihi, is expected to start producing power in 2011.

Previous government agency estimates suggest only 15 per cent of New Zealand's geothermal potential has been tapped. Geothermal power could produce about 75 per cent of peak demand.