Sonoma Clean Power is set to make its case Tuesday evening for Lake County to join the energy agency currently serving Sonoma and Mendocino counties. It’s a conversation a decade in the making.
The offer comes with clear conditions. Sonoma Clean Power’s board has made Lake County’s membership contingent not only on approval from the county, Lakeport, and Clearlake but also on the county’s participation in the agency’s geothermal energy initiative.
That initiative, known as the geothermal opportunity zone (GeoZone), is a partnership among Sonoma and Mendocino counties and three energy companies. Its goal is to tap The Geysers geothermal field, which spans all three counties, to generate an additional 600 megawatts of renewable power for the North Bay. CEO Geof Syphers said joining the GeoZone is central to the offer: without consensus on new geothermal development, he cautioned, conflicts would likely emerge down the line.
The proposal reflects a fresh round of outreach earlier this year from Lake County, Lakeport and Clearlake. Following updated feasibility studies showing more favorable conditions, SCP’s board extended a formal offer in August.
“Over the past 10 years, Lake County has steadily communicated with SCP about its interest in SCP and in having more control over energy sources, and I’m excited they’re bringing this decision to a vote in October,” Syphers said.
Clearlake’s decision is scheduled for Oct. 2 while the Board of Supervisors and Lakeport are set to decide on Oct. 21. If all three say yes, the power agency’s board will consider final approval Nov. 6, but state rules would delay service until May 2027, Syphers said.
When a local government adopts a community-choice aggregation energy agency like SCP, local customers are automatically enrolled, unless they opt out. SCP serves 87% of electricity customers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
The presentation is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Board of Supervisors’ chambers, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport.
In 2015, the county approached the then-new agency about membership, but SCP opted to wait until it was more established. A renewed request in 2019 stalled due to high Pacific Gas & Electric Co. fees.
The GeoZone has proven even more contentious for Lake County. In 2022, the Board of Supervisors narrowly voted against joining, citing concerns about water use, seismic activity, emissions and the share of power available locally, North Bay Business Journal reported at the time. Some supervisors said they could revisit the question once pilot projects were identified.
While Syphers said he has heard strong interest in advancing geothermal from presentations to local governments around Lake County, he also acknowledged residents’ caution about risks to water, land and seismic stability. Part of the discussion has been on forthcoming plans for the GeoZone — small-footprint plants that reuse the water for power generation.
“Even though we have more geothermal power in Sonoma County, they have more folks living nearby those plants,” Syphers said. “And having that knowledge is really valuable for steering what we do.”