A Tale of Two Sites: Lease auction irks Colorado residents while Cornwall England plant gains local support

Two very different scenarios are developing over proposed geothermal developments in England and the U.S.

In Chalk Creek, Colorado, it seems that the more area property owners near the proposed geothermal lease site learn about the potential results of exploration might mean, the more they are concerned.

Yet, in Cornwall, England, public forums and filled-out questionnaires signal a green light to geothermal development in their midst. How the residents in each area are being approached plays no small role in how these projects are proceeding.

In Colorado, the Bureau of Land Management’s lease process has already been delayed several months over public concerns. One resident who has lived in the area for 16-years notes that the proposed lease could allow construction of power plants on private land because the lease is for subsurface mineral rights, much of which lie beneath private property.

Geothermal rights to now have been classified under mineral rights law. This creates a split estate for landowners, where surface rights are effectively subservient to mineral rights, which in this case are controlled by the BLM. Another local landowner has launched a website – chaffeecountygeothermal.com – that points to some excellent resources on the subject. The law effectively says that the BLM can do what it wants if it does not create a nuisance at the surface where there might have been alternatives to prevent such a nuisance. How these are judged will go a long way in determining where and how the lease process finishes. Split-estate issues were cited by the BLM for the auction’s delay.

Another issue concerns the viability of binary cycle power plants, which according to the Colorado Geothermal Development strategic plan is the only technology applicable to the state’s resources. Residents point to the Hatch plant in Utah, which has been buying nearly as much power to operate as it is generating. For local residents, they see their land and water resources at risk to develop what could end up an unviable resource.

In the U.K, Geothermal Engineering Ltd., which intends to develop a geothermal plant on the United Downs Industrial Estate says they have received strong support from the local community. More than 150 people attended a two-day public event and 88 people completed consultation questionnaires. Overall, 89% of people attending the surgery actively supported the development of geothermal energy in their locality.

Further on, Ryan Law, managing director and founder of Geothermal Engineering Ltd, will be holding another session to personally answer any further questions members of the community may have. And he is making himself personally available to individuals who can book 15 minute slots to speak with him. The event is scheduled for November 24.

The company plans to deliver up to 300 MW of electricity over the next 20 years. However, the plan also calls for the delivery of up to 1 GW of renewable heat for communities across the area over the same period. This alone may tip the scales of public opinion. Law is also touting the positive impact on the local economy and community.