Five ways to streamline geothermal deployment in California

The briefing identifies regulatory uncertainty, slow permitting, and the lack of a cohesive strategy as primary barriers to geothermal energy in California. It proposes establishing a statewide strategic plan, streamlining environmental reviews, updating decades-old well regulations to accommodate next-generation technologies, reforming interconnection and resource adequacy frameworks to reflect year-round value, and increasing funding for high-upfront pre-development costs.

• California lacks a coordinated, long-term strategy for geothermal development, which results in uncertainty for developers regarding transmission access and offtakers because planning relies on short-term procurement targets.
• The permitting and environmental review process is described as lengthy and complex, exacerbated by state and local agencies that are under-resourced or unfamiliar with next-generation geothermal technologies.
• Existing geothermal well regulations are outdated, having been written for conventional hydrothermal projects, and do not align with modern industry practices such as closed-loop technologies or enhanced geothermal systems.
• Current resource adequacy and interconnection frameworks may not fully account for the system value of geothermal energy's ability to provide clean firm power during both summer and winter peaks.
• High upfront costs and long development timelines deter investment, while existing grant programs are considered relatively small and inconsistent, particularly for pre-development activities like exploratory drilling.

APA

Arax, A., & Garth, A. (2025). Five ways to streamline geothermal deployment in California. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2025/07/five-ways-streamline-geothermal-deployment-california/

Chicago

Arax, Ashley, and Ann Garth. Five ways to streamline geothermal deployment in California. Clean Air Task Force, 2025. https://www.catf.us/2025/07/five-ways-streamline-geothermal-deployment-california/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Arax |first1=Ashley |last2=Garth |first2=Ann |title=Five ways to streamline geothermal deployment in California |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=16 July 2025 |url=https://www.catf.us/2025/07/five-ways-streamline-geothermal-deployment-california/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{arax2025five, author = {Arax, Ashley and Garth, Ann}, title = {{Five ways to streamline geothermal deployment in California}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.catf.us/2025/07/five-ways-streamline-geothermal-deployment-california/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }