COMMENDING CALPINE CORPORATION ON
FORTY YEARS OF POWER GENERATION
WHEREAS, June 5, 2024, marks 40 years since Calpine Corporation was founded in California, and Calpine Corporation now owns and operates the majority of the largest producing geothermal field in the world, located in Lake and Sonoma Counties; and
WHEREAS, Calpine’s operations at The Geysers now employ over 300 people, a majority of which reside in Lake County, with about 150 full-time contractor jobs, contributing significantly to the local economy through property taxes, royalties, goods and services; and
WHEREAS, Calpine is active in the community by supporting local emergency response units, partnering with area organizations, charities, schools and maintaining a visitors center available for community events, and these efforts draw tourists to the area and educate the public on the benefits of geothermal power; and
WHEREAS, by consistently donating locally, participating in events, supporting local initiatives, joining public discussions, including key Lake County committees such as the Geothermal Advisory Committee, the Seismic Monitoring Advisory Committee and the Geysers Air Monitoring Program, Calpine is an actively engaged community partner in Lake County; and
WHEREAS, Calpine has teamed with the County of Lake to build the nation’s first recycled water-to-power project - the Southeast Geysers Effluent Pipeline project has been providing an environmentally responsible way to dispose of treated recycled water, preventing its discharge into local waterways and providing a sustainable source of steam for geothermal power operations that has help sustain generation capacity at The Geysers for over 26 years; and
WHEREAS, Calpine Corporation is America’s largest generator of electricity from natural gas and geothermal resources, with operations in competitive power markets serving customers in 22 states, Canada and Mexico, providing over 26,700 megawatts of generation capacity; and
WHEREAS, Calpine is the nation’s largest renewable geothermal power producer, operating 13 geothermal power plants generating up to 725 megawatts of green, baseload energy around the clock; and
WHEREAS, Calpine is at the forefront of California’s clean energy revolution, investing in battery storage projects statewide to bolster grid reliability and support the transition to renewable energy sources - with a total of 2,000 megawatts of battery storage systems operating or in advanced development, Calpine is playing a pivotal role in securing California’s energy future; and
WHEREAS, through innovation, Calpine’s consolidation of The Geysers’ steam fields and power plants is continuing to sustainably harness geothermal power from a natural, clean energy source, heat from steam produced one and a half miles below the earth’s surface, to produce electricity. Geothermal Energy from The Geysers is continuing to help meet California’s bold greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, that the Lake County Board of Supervisors congratulates Calpine Corporation on 40 years of environmentally responsible power production, its outstanding financial and volunteer contributions to our area communities in which it operates and the innovation, professionalism and expertise of its employees who work hard daily to ensure the sustainability of The Geysers and continuation of green geothermal power production in Lake County for years to come.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 4th day of June 2024.