< All Public Input & Actions

BLM to hold August 2025 geothermal lease sale in California

California
Media Contact
Jesse Pluim
BLM Office:
A geothermal plant in front of large mountains.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Bureau of Land Management will hold a competitive geothermal lease sale on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, offering 13 parcels totaling 23,000 acres across Imperial, Lassen, and Modoc counties. The auction will be held online via EnergyNet. 

The open bidding period begins at 7 a.m. Pacific Time on the day of the sale. Each parcel will have a unique one-hour bidding window, with times clearly listed on the auction website. Parcels can be viewed now at the BLM National NEPA Register (El Centro Field Office and Applegate Field Office), and on EnergyNet approximately 10 business days after the sale notice is posted.

For each parcel leased, 50% of the bid, rental receipts, and subsequent royalties will go to the state of California, 25% will go to the county where the lease is located, and the remaining 25% will go to the U.S. Treasury.

Geothermal energy is a renewable resource that generates baseload electricity with minimal carbon emissions. It is an abundant resource, especially in the West, where the BLM has authority to manage geothermal resource leasing, exploration, and development on approximately 245 million surface acres of public lands and the 700 million acres where the United States owns the subsurface mineral estate.

The BLM issues competitive geothermal leases for an initial 10-year period. The leases allow the lessee to explore for and develop potential geothermal resources. The leases may be extended if the lessee establishes production or provides proof of diligent exploration.

For more information, contact the BLM California State Office at 916-978-4400 or [email protected].

The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.