Fact Sheet

For  Release :  August 14, 2007     
Contacts :  John Dearing, (916) 978-4622 or Jeff Fontana,(530) 252-5332

All parcels are located in the north end of the Geysers geothermal energy field in Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

Parcel:CA 8-07-01 Location: Lake & Sonoma counties  Acres: 470.720     Bid per Acre: $14,000*   Total: $6,594,000*   Bidder:  Binkley Geo Resources, LLC Santa Monica, CA	Parcel: CA 08-07-02 Location: Lake County Acres: 440 Bid per acre: $400 Total:  $176,000 Bidder:  Kelsey South, LLC Santa Monica, Ca
Parcel: CA 08-07-03 Location: Lake County Acres: 40      Bid per acre: $150 Total: $6,000     Bidder:  High Valley, LLC  Santa Monica, CA	Parcel: CA 08-07-04 Location:  Lake County Acres: 200 Bid per acres:  $350 Total: $70,000 Bidder:  High Valley, LLC Santa Monica, CA
Parcel: CA 08-07-05 Location: Mendocino & Sonoma counties Acres:  1240 Bid per acre: $420   Total: $520,800   Bidder: Geysers Power Company, LLC   Middletown, CA	Parcel: CA-08-07-06 Location: Sonoma County Acres:  320 Bid per acre: Bid per acre: $2,000 Total: $640,000     Bidder:  Geysers Power Company, LLC Middletown, CA

* The highest per-acre bid ever recorded by BLM nationwide for a geothermal lease parcel

• The  first competitive sealed bid geothermal lease offer that BLM held for lands at The Geysers was held on January 22, 1974, over 33 years ago.

• A total of 10 competitive lease offers has been held for tracts at The Geysers.  These sales have generated over $35 million in bonus or accepted high bids.

• Federal royalties on the production of steam from 12 producing federal leases at The Geysers, since first federal production in 1979, totals over $200 million.  Half of this money is returned to the state of California, and then 40% of the half returned to the state is directed to the county in which the geothermal energy was produced.  The field is shared by Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma counties.
• The Geysers produces 46% of the total royalties from federal geothermal leases in California

• There are four power plants located on federal leases in The Geysers.  Together, these four plants produce an average of about 200 megawatts of energy, enough for the household needs of about 200,000 people.

• The Geysers is the largest geothermal field in the world, and one of only two known dry steam fields in the world (the other dry steam field is in Lardarello, Italy)

For more information on geothermal energy in California, visit the California geothermal resources website at:  http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/energy/geothermal.html

California State Office      2800 Cottage Way     Sacramento, CA 95825