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Bureau of Land Management

Geothermal Project Utilization Plan Facility Construction Permit and Site License

A Utilization Plan (no form, 43 CFR 3272) describes how the geothermal resource will be used, including all of the proposed structures and facilities and their locations necessary for plant operations, as well as plans for final reclamation and decommissioning. These documents are submitted as part of the NEPA process. The Utilization Plan also includes the construction permit for construction and operation of the electric generation facilities, direct‐use steam plants, and related facility and well field operations, including well field production and injection.

Geothermal Exploration Bond

An exploration bond must cover any activities related to exploration, reclamation of the surface and other resources, rental payments, and compliance with requirements at 43 CFR 3200.4. Minimum bonding requirements for exploration operations are found at 43 CFR 3251.15.

Geothermal Drilling Permit GDP

Geothermal drilling permit means BLM written permission to drill for and test Federal geothermal resources. Belore a geothermal drilling permit can be approved, an operations plan must undergo NEPA review. Once approved, then geothermal drilling permit application(s) can be approved.

Commercial Use Permit

Prior to the commercial generation of electricity, an application for a Commercial Use Permit is submitted and approved by BLM prior to any commercial operations from a Federal geothermal lease, a Federal Unit, or a production facility. This document describes the location of all wells, allocation of that production, location of meters, allocation of schedules, power purchase agreement, and a number of other items. It generally takes about a month for BLM approval of a Commercial Use Permit.

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