This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| Coso Geothermal Field | |
|---|---|
| Name | Coso Geothermal Field |
| Location | Inyo County, California; near China Lake, Bishop, California; Southern California |
| Coordinates | 36°N 117°W |
| Elevation | ~1,200–1,800 m |
| Type | Hydrothermal geothermal field |
| Area | ~100 km² |
| Discovery | 1970s (modern exploration) |
| Owners | CalEnergy Company, LLC; Ormat Technologies; Enel Green Power (historic operators/partners) |
| Electrical capacity | ~270 MW (nominal) |
| Commissioning | 1987–1990s (staged) |
Coso Geothermal Field The Coso Geothermal Field is a high-temperature hydrothermal resource in the Coso Range of eastern California, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake military reservation and south of Owens Valley. It supports commercial geothermal power generation and scientific research into volcanic, tectonic, and hydrothermal processes, connecting with regional features including the Sierra Nevada, Long Valley Caldera, and the Walker Lane. The field integrates geothermal production, seismic monitoring, and cultural stewardship within a landscape linked to Mojave Desert and Great Basin physiography.
The field is hosted within a Miocene–Pliocene volcanic complex of the Coso Volcanic Field and sits atop plutonic and metamorphic basement related to the Sierra Nevada Batholith, with structural control by the Garlock Fault, White Mountains Fault Zone, and the regional Basin and Range Province extension. High heat flow arises from shallow magmatism and crustal intrusions similar to those beneath the Long Valley Caldera and interacts with brittle-ductile transitions seen in the Walker Lane Belt. Hydrothermal circulation exploits fracture networks in fractured rhyolite, dacite, and andesite units analogous to systems at Geysers Geothermal Field and Salton Sea Geothermal Field, producing steam-dominated zones above liquid-dominated reservoirs like those described in studies of Ahuachapán and Larderello systems. Geochemical signatures show isotopic affinities with meteoric water influenced by deep magmatic volatiles akin to signatures reported from Krafla and Taupo Volcanic Zone.
Indigenous use by Northern Paiute and Shoshone peoples predates modern surveys; twentieth-century mapping by the United States Geological Survey and military geologists at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake advanced understanding. Exploration accelerated during the 1970s energy crises with federal involvement from U.S. Department of Energy programs and private firms including Magma Power Company and later operators such as CalEnergy Company, LLC and Enel. Drilling campaigns followed models from Imperial Valley and attracted interest from international investors similar to projects in Iceland and New Zealand. Academic studies by researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Stanford University contributed reservoir characterization alongside monitoring networks akin to those at Parkfield and USArray.
Commercial development produced phased power plants and binary units operated by private entities and utilities, with capacity additions paralleling development at The Geysers and Salton Sea. Turbine and plant technologies have included single and dual-flash steam units and binary cycle modules supplied by manufacturers such as Ormat Technologies and turbine makers linked to General Electric and Siemens. The field’s steam is piped to generation stations colocated with well pads, and transmission interconnects tie into California Independent System Operator grids and regional substations similar to links used by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power projects. Operations have required coordination with the Naval Air Weapons Station for access and shared infrastructure akin to military–industry collaborations elsewhere.
Operators apply reservoir engineering methods developed from experience at The Geysers and Hellisheiði including pressure monitoring, reinjection strategies, and microseismic surveillance using networks like those developed at USGS observatories. Reinjection wells, scaling and corrosion control, and chemical tracers are used to sustain pressure and manage enthalpy comparable to practices at Baja California fields. Geothermal drilling employs directional drilling, managed-pressure drilling, and temperature-logging protocols influenced by best practices from Bureau of Land Management and international standards used in Icelandic projects. Enhanced geothermal system (EGS) research and induced-seismicity mitigation strategies borrow methodologies trialed at Soultz-sous-Forêts and Newberry Volcano.
Development occurs within habitat for Mojave Desert flora and fauna, requiring environmental review processes akin to those overseen by the California Energy Commission and mitigation measures comparable to Bureau of Land Management stipulations. Issues include surface disturbance, emissions of noncondensable gases similar to concerns at The Geysers, and thermal wastewater management paralleling practices in Salton Sea operations. Cultural-resource management involves consultation with Coso People descendants, Bureau of Indian Affairs protocols, and compliance resembling processes at Chumash and Paiute sites. The adjacent Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake imposes land-use coordination similar to other defense–industry landscapes like Fort Irwin.
The field contributes renewable baseload power to California, supporting state energy goals administered by California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission, and participates in renewable energy markets overseen by California Independent System Operator. Ownership and operation have included private energy firms such as CalEnergy Company, LLC, technology providers like Ormat Technologies, and international utilities such as Enel, reflecting investment patterns seen in global geothermal portfolios including Icelandic and Philippine holdings. Economic benefits encompass local employment in Inyo County, royalties and lease revenues tied to federal and military land-use arrangements, and investment in infrastructure similar to regional projects funded through Department of Energy incentives and state renewable energy programs.
Category:Geothermal power stations in California Category:Volcanic fields of California Category:Energy infrastructure in Inyo County, California