Mount Baker could be source of geothermal power

In the Pacific Northwest, the land of cheap hydro-electric power, might get a new look. The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is asking for public comment on the idea of allowing geothermal exploration and development on federal lands.

Geothermal power is providing electricity for millions of people in California and Nevada. Now, the Forest Service will consider offering leases in the area of Mount Baker.

“Our analysis is going to encompass about 83,000 acres surrounding the Mt. Baker wilderness,” said Eric Ozog, with the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. “This isn’t the wilderness, itself, it’s the non-wilderness national forest parcels that surround the mountain.”

One, unnamed company has expressed interest in leasing acreage around the volcano. Only about 11,500 acres would eventually be open for lease.

Tapping geothermal energy involves drilling multiple wells down thousands of feet and then pumping in pressurized water. Volcanic heat then turns it to steam, which is returned to the surface to power turbines that generate electricity. Like solar, wind and hydro-power, it’s renewable and, theoretically, inexhaustible.

It’s been working for decades in California, other western states, and around the world. The nearest geothermal effort to Washington is a demonstration plant by AltaRock Energy at Newberry Volcano, projected to generate 30-50 megawatts. That’s enough energy to power nearby Bend, Oregon, which has a population of about 80,000 people.

A California geothermal facility is providing electricity to one million San Francisco Bay-area residents. About 80 percent of U.S. geothermal production is in California.

Geothermal energy accounts for less than one percent of total U.S. electricity production, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

The Forest Service is driven by a desire to increase American energy self-sufficiency as outlined in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

“That directs federal agencies to evaluate suitable areas for potential geothermal development,” Ozog said.

In the case of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, the wilderness is off-limits and any lease would include restrictions to protect old growth forests and waterways.

“We’re trying to strike a balance between protecting the resource, which is the most important thing because we want to pass down these lands to future generations, while providing some energy for the American people,” Ozog explained.

There are environmental concerns, including pollution from chemicals and earthquakes from the process of hydroshearing or injecting high pressure water deep into the earth.

This is just the start of the process. For now, there is no specific exploration proposal for the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, just nominated acreage.

Public comment is allowed until December 1. Then, an environmental assessment will lead to a lease decision next spring, followed by a more site-specific analysis, if approved. Then, more public comment. But actual construction of a geothermal plant could take eight years or more.