New Zealand-based Mighty River Power Ltd has announced that it is investing an estimated USD 90 million in a geothermal power-producing facility in the US through partially owned American subsidiary GeoGlobal Energy LLC (GGE). The new geothermal facility will use the same proven technology used by Mighty River Power at its geothermal units in New Zealand, and will be built at a total cost of USD 400 million. Although GGE, which sold 25% of its stake to Mighty River Power in 2008, has invested in the 49.9MW Hudson Ranch Power I station in the geothermal resource-rich Imperial Valley in the southern part of California, it is being built by American geothermal and solar power facility developer and operator EnergySource LLC. The investment made by GGE accounted for almost all the funds required for setting up the plant and enabled GGE to purchase a 20% stake in EnergySource. The plant will boast the same Fuji equipment used at Mighty River Power’s plants at Kawerau in the north, and the 140MW Nga Awa Purua near Taupo in the center of North Island, New Zealand. The Nga Awa Purua facility was commissioned in April this year. The construction of the Hudson Ranch Power I plant is expected to be completed by 2012.
