The Port of Oakland’s Board of Port Commissioners agreed to purchase up to US$13.5 million worth of geothermal energy over 12 years.
The geothermal energy purchase begins on 1 January, 2025 and runs through 31 December, 2036, and will average around US$1,125,000 per year.
“Geothermal will account for about 10% per year of our overall energy portfolio to power the port and its customers,” said Port of Oakland in a statement.
More specifically, Geothermal offers a clean, reliable and 100% renewable energy source that will be used by the port and its tenants at the seaport and airport.
This energy will come from Geysers Power Company (Geysers) facilities, about 75 miles north of San Francisco near Middletown.
The Geysers has also 13 facilities along the Sonoma and Lake County border.
Geothermal power is derived from the heat of the earth’s core, in particular, wells averaging 2,590 meters deep (the deepest is over 2 miles) tap into naturally occurring steam field reservoirs below the earth’s surface which are being harnessed to make clean, green, renewable energy.
