East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), a California-based renewable energy provider, announced on Tuesday that it has inked a power purchase agreement with Fervo Energy for 40 MW of geothermal power.
The deal is EBCE’s first geothermal power purchase agreement, which will bring non-weather-dependent clean energy to its power portfolio.
EBCE is a non-profit public power agency launched by environmental justice organization Asian Pacific Environmental Network in 2018. The Community Choice Energy program it operates is dedicated to providing low-rate renewable energy to local community, including 1.7 million residential and commercial customers.
The government of California released in 2021 a procurement order, requiring utilities to purchase 1,000 MW of non-weather-dependent, zero-emission energy by 2026. In response to the obligation, EBCE tapped Fervo Energy to increase its deployment of carbon-free energy.
The project will dispatch 40 MW of firm, 24/7, zero-emission geothermal energy from Churchill County, Nevada to California’s regional grid, staring in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Fervo Energy is dedicated to using advanced geothermal technology such as horizontal drilling and distributed fiber optic monitoring to create more reliable and cost-effective projects. The technology makes geothermal power more accessible than ever before, significantly increasing its potential as a widespread energy source.
EBCE, which serves Alameda County and fourteen incorporated cities, provides a power mix of carbon-free and renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal, with a goal of providing 100% clean electricity service to its customers by 2030.
Developing a varied portfolio of clean energy plants helps keep prices stable and the lights on, said Nick Chaset, CEO at EBCE. “As one of California’s cleanest energy providers, adding geothermal to our portfolio brings resiliency to the communities we serve as well as a degree of reliability EBCE customers can rely on.”
