Sourcing Renewables  -  June 28, 2023

Port of Oakland to Use Geothermal Energy

The Port of Oakland’s Board of Port Commissioners in California agreed to purchase up to $13.5 million worth of geothermal energy over 12 years.

The geothermal energy purchase from Geysers Power Company will begin on Jan. 1, 2025, and the energy will come from facilities about 75 miles north of San Francisco.

The Geysers is one of the largest and cleanest geothermal steam fields in the world and the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the world, with 13 facilities along the Sonoma and Lake County border. The Geysers has a net generating capacity of about 725 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 725,000 homes.

"The Port's mix of power resources demonstrates our commitment to providing cleaner energy, reliable power and rates lower than surrounding utilities," said Port of Oakland Utilities Manager Jared Carpenter in a statement.

Port Utilities currently derive their primary sources of sustainable energy from a range of options prioritizing geothermal, biomass, solar, and wind energy.

Geothermal energy is a clean and 100 percent renewable energy source derived from the heat of the earth’s core. The energy is derived from wells averaging 8,500 feet deep that tap into naturally occurring steam field reservoirs below the earth’s surface.