The Bureau of Land Management Utah State Office will hold a competitive geothermal lease sale on April 8, 2025, offering 15 parcels totaling 50,813 acres on public lands in Beaver, Iron, and Sevier counties. The auction will be held online at EnergyNet.
Geothermal energy is a renewable resource that generates baseload electricity with minimal carbon emissions. It is an abundant resource, especially in the West, where the BLM has authority to manage geothermal resource leasing, exploration, and development on approximately 245 million surface acres of public lands, as well as in any lands where the United States retains the subsurface mineral estate.
For each parcel leased, 50% of the bid, rental receipts, and subsequent royalties go to the State of Utah, an additional 25% goes to the county where the lease is located, and the remaining 25% goes to the U.S. Treasury.
BLM issues competitive geothermal leases for an initial 10-year period. The leases allow the lessee to explore for and develop potential geothermal resources. The leases may be extended if the lessee establishes production or provides proof of diligent exploration.
Before including parcels in a lease sale, BLM conducts an environmental review process in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws to consider potential environmental impacts and to determine appropriate stipulations to protect other resources values. This environmental review includes opportunities for public comment and can be found on the BLM National NEPA Register, along with the Lease Sale Notice and proposed stipulations.
All BLM geothermal decisions must be consistent with the terms, conditions, and decisions in the applicable land use plan. Before permitting any surface-disturbing activities, BLM will conduct an appropriate level of NEPA review when processing applications for exploration or development plans, which may include site-specific measures in addition to the stipulations attached to the lease at the time of sale.