Geothermal projects provide economic growth and jobs, often
in rural areas with high unemployment. For example,
CalEnergy has plans to build a new power complex in Imperial
Valley, California, one of the state’s highest unemployment
areas. The project will mean investment of nearly $1 billion
which will be a boost to the local economy. The project will
take almost four years to build, during which time an average
of 323 construction workers will be employed. When the
project is completed is will require 57 full time positions for
operations, engineering, maintenance, and administration.
This 235 MW geothermal plant compares favorably with either
a gas or wind project, which CalEnergy notes would each
require about 18 full time employees for a similar size project.
GEA has identified the following different types of jobs created
by the geothermal industry during project development. This
does not include the many jobs involved in manufacturing
operations, controls, and other components of a power plant.