Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals has taken over the ownership of Lightning Dock, New Mexico’s first and only commercially sized geothermal power generation plant, from Cyrq Energy. As the most easterly geothermal energy facility in the US, this purchase also enhances Zanskar’s objective of growing the renewable geothermal energy resource in the western region of the US.

The acquisition of lightning dock by Zanskar opens doors for geothermal technology innovations powered by AI

Acquiring Lightning Dock represents a crucial progress for Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals to modernize geothermal development cost structure by leveraging artificial intelligence and data analytics. Zanskar, which raised $30 million in Series A investment, aims to deploy cutting-edge machine learning to locate and enhance geothermal resources in the western US.

Subsurface data mapping is one of the techniques Zanskar intends to use to enhance the power generation capacity of systems such as Lightning Dock to improve the cost effectiveness of geothermal energy production.

The evolution of Lightning Dock: From 4MWe to 15MWe geothermal power plant

The Lightning Dock facility has largely changed since it was built. The facility was first developed by Cyrq energy in 2013 as a 4MWe plant. Plans for expansion were delayed due to dysfunction of the plant. In 2017, Cyrq entered into an agreement with Turboden and Industrial Builders to redesign the facility.

As a result, the company incorporated an organic rankine cycle (ORC) turbine capable of up to 13.7MWe nominal and about 15.2MWe maximum output. This modernization was done in 2018, and it enhanced the sharpness of the plant.

The plant was baptized Bruce Levy Geothermal Plant after a geothermal expert Bruce Levy. The Plant is a source of carbon free baseload power sold to the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) thereby enabling the residents to enjoy uninterrupted supply of renewable energy.

For Zanskar, the acquisition of this plant serves as an organic growth strategy, in this case allowing the company to assimilate the personnel and infrastructure of Lightning Dock into its ownership. The new asset allows Zanskar to venture into new markets in the exploitation of geothermal resources in New Mexico as well as lay grounds for further developments in this sector.

Zanskar’s procurement of Lightning Dock enhances geothermal studies and innovations

This acquisition is not just about the capacity for generating power but also provides a base for scientific research and the advancement of geothermal technology. Lightning Dock’s geographical features are a perfect fit for the vision Zanskar has.

By improving the methods of subsurface mapping and predictive modeling, the firm hopes to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of underground geothermal systems. ‘This facility has a great capacity in terms of research and innovation,’ said CEO Carl Hoiland, adding the facility’s geological configuration is very appropriate for any kind of subsurface technology experimentation.

It is anticipated that geothermal energy would prove to be the cheapest renewable source of energy used worldwide. Zanskar has already seen some successful results from preliminary testing, but with the Lightning Dock facility in place, the firm is more prepared to increase its overhead research operations.

According to Cyrq Energy’s acting CEO Chip Schneider, Zanskar will be a good custodian of the facility as he was optimistic on the even better development of the facility and its state in the respect of its contribution to technology advancement on geothermal.

The purchase of the Lightning Dock facility by Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals will advance geothermal energy utilization in the U.S. to a higher level. While the company is constantly innovating and improving the use of geothermal energy, the Lightning Dock plant will act both as a power plant and as a research center. Zanskar is determined to overcome all of the obstacles in the way of widespread adoption of geothermal energy in electric power generation and that is why the focus is on efficiency and sustainability.