Phase 1 San Emidio construction approved

In Neveda, the Washoe County Planning Commission has issued a Special Use Permit to U.S. Geothermal Inc. for construction of its proposed 8.6 MW Phase 1 power plant at the San Emidio Project in northern Nevada. The Permit, which was unanimously approved, allows for the replacement and relocation of the existing power plant, and is subject to the issuance of any other necessary permits from the Washoe County Building and Safety Department. Construction on the project is expected to begin during the 3rd quarter, which will qualify the San Emidio project for the Federal ITC cash grant. Completion of the new plant is scheduled for the 4th quarter of 2011. The full development of San Emidio is planned as a two phase program that will result in a total of 35 MW of capacity from four binary cycle power plant modules.