04/06/07 US Geothermal, part two

US Geothermal's Doug Glaspey says Raft River isn't the only spot where there's a potential for a geothermal power plant. GLASPEY "Six to eight hot springs or identified areas that appear to have potential for commercial power generation. At some point in time somebody has to go out and drill a well." US Geothermal wells at Raft River cost about two and a half million dollars. The Cassia County power plant should be on line in late September producing electricity for Idaho Power. Glaspey says his company is also exploring a spot west of Vale, Oregon, called Neal Hot Springs. Chevron drilled in that area in the late 1970's. GLASPEY "So we've been doing some geophysical programs this winter and our intent is to get a drill out there sometime this year to drill the first production wells out of Neal and then we have to flow those wells, take a number of temperature and pressure measurements, flow measurements and calculate what the potential energy reserve is within this geothermal reservoir." A geothermal task force reported last year that Idaho had the potential to produce about 30 percent of its electricity needs by 2015 through geothermal energy. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott