Economic Impacts of Geothermal Development in Harney County, Oregon.

Technical Report · Sun Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5596201· OSTI ID:5596201

Sifford, Alex; Beale, Kasi

This study provides local economic impact estimates for a 100 megawatt (MW) geothermal power project in Oregon. The hypothetical project would be in Harney Count. Bonneville Power Administration commissioned this study to quantify such impacts as part of regional confirmation work recommended by the Northwest Power Planning Council and its advisors. Harney County was chosen as it has both identified resources and industry interest. Geothermal energy is defined as the heat of the earth. For purposes of this study, geothermal energy is heat capable of economically generating electricity (using available technology). That translates to steam or hot water over 300{degrees}F. Local economic impacts include direct, indirect, and induced changes in the local economy. Direct economic impacts result from the costs of plant development, construction, and operation. Indirect impacts result from household and local government purchases. Induced impacts result from continued respending as goods and services to support the households and local governments are purchased. Employment impacts of geothermal development follow a pattern similar to the economic impacts. The workers associated with plant development bring their families to the area. Additional labor is required to provide support services for the new population. Local government services must also increase to support the new community growth and the geothermal plant itself. These changes yield indirect and induced employment impacts associated with the geothermal plant.

• Research Organization: Oregon State Dept. of Energy, Salem, OR (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: BI79-90BP07129
• OSTI ID: 5596201
• Report Number(s): DOE/BP-07129-2; ON: DE92011096
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
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CAPITAL
COST
DATA ANALYSIS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DRILLING
ECONOMIC IMPACT
EXPLORATION
FEDERAL REGION X
GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION
GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANTS
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Geothermal resources - Economic aspects
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
LABOR
NORTH AMERICA
OREGON
PLANNING
POWER PLANTS
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
RESOURCES
SITE SELECTION
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
USA
WELL DRILLING