US DOE Adds $99M for Geothermal as Offshore Wind Lease Buyouts Draw New Lawsuits

The US Department of Energy added $99 million to its geothermal testing and exploration program on September 21 and launched a Geothermal Center of Excellence. Funds from offshore wind lease buyouts are being steered partly to geothermal projects outside coastal states, prompting new lawsuits from California and eight other states.

• DOE added $99M to geothermal exploration funding on September 21
• New Geothermal Center of Excellence launched with national labs
• California and eight other states filed lawsuits over offshore wind lease buyouts
• Geothermal accounts for roughly 1% of US utility-scale generation