Geothermal power from volcanoes

Reuters reports that the State of Alaska is preparing a geothermal leasing programme for Mount Spurr which would allow energy companies to exploit the volcano’s heat sources as a means of generating energy, and that a similar programme is being considered for another Alaskan volcano, Augustine. The Eruptions blog has more.

Only last week Nicaragua announced that it was inviting bids to develop the geothermal potential of San Cristóbal volcano.

An article in the UK Daily Telegraph for 26 June 2008 reports on the resurgence of interest in geothermal power in the United States: ‘According to experts, America is only just waking up to the ancient power source lying beneath dozens of states that has the potential to supply as much as 25 percent of the nation’s energy needs’. If the Telegraph is to be believed, Karl Gawell, executive director of the Geothermal Energy Association, when speaking of current geothermal energy projects and the potential for expansion, actually used the phrase ‘the tip of the iceberg’.

Information
Global Volcanism Program: Spurr – summary information for Spurr (1103-04-)
Global Volcanism Program: Augustine – summary information for Augustine (1103-01-)
Global Volcanism Program: San Cristóbal – summary information for San Cristóbal (1404-02=)
The plus side of volcanoes: geothermal energy – general information on geothermal energy from the Cascades Volcano Observatory

News
Harness volcano power, energy experts say – Daily Telegraph, 26 June 2008
Alaska plans geothermal leasing at volcano – Reuters, 24 June 2008
Nicaragua seeks bids on energy from largest volcano – Bloomberg, 19 June 2008