BLM to Hold Geothermal Lease Sale in October

The Bureau of Land Management announced it will hold a competitive geothermal lease sale on Oct. 21, 2025, offering 113 parcels totaling 377,678 acres in Churchill, Esmeralda, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, and Washoe counties. The auction will be held online through EnergyNet.

For each parcel leased, 50% of the bid, rental receipts, and subsequent royalties will go to the state of Nevada, 25% will go to the county where the lease is located, and the remaining 25% will go to the U.S. Treasury.

Geothermal energy offers a reliable baseload power source with a high capacity density, promoting efficient use of federal lands for energy production. The resource is abundant in the West, where the BLM manages geothermal leasing, exploration, and development on about 245 million surface acres of public lands and 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate.

The BLM issues competitive geothermal leases for an initial 10-year period, which may be extended if the lessee establishes production or provides proof of diligent exploration.

Before including parcels in a lease sale, the BLM conducts an environmental review process in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws. The review considers potential environmental impacts from the lease sale and determines stipulations on use to protect other resource values. The process includes opportunities for public comment, and documents are available on the BLM Nevada Geothermal website along with the lease sale notice and stipulations.

All BLM geothermal decisions must be consistent with the terms and conditions of the applicable land use plan. Before permitting any surface-disturbing activities, the BLM will conduct additional environmental review when processing exploration or development plans. This may include site-specific conditions in addition to stipulations already attached to the lease at the time of sale.

For more information, contact BLM Supervisory Land Law Examiner Jonathan Estrella at [email protected]