U.S. geothermal lease sale raises record $28.2 mln
By Jasmin Melvin
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Interior Department said Friday it raised a record $28.2 million this week from leasing federal lands to companies for developing geothermal energy resources.
Geothermal energy, harnessed from steam and hot water beneath the earth that powers turbines, generates 17 percent of the electricity that comes from renewable sources in the United States.
In an auction on Tuesday, the department leased 105,211 acres in Nevada for geothermal energy use. Other states with geothermal activity are Oregon, Utah, Idaho and New Mexico.
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne said in a release the sale "opens the way for even more geothermal development and is just one step in our continuing effort to responsibly use and develop clean, renewable energy."
[read the rest at reuters]
