Utah's geothermal growth rising fast

Utah had the fastest-growing geothermal power under development among all states, according to a report released Tuesday by the Geothermal Energy Association.

Utah's amount quadrupled from a year earlier and had 42 megawatts of installed capacity, it said. It also had 628 to 883 megawatts under development. Among other states with development growth, New Mexico tripled, Idaho doubled and Oregon reported a 50 percent increase.

The association said the country overall showed 26 percent growth in new projects under development in the past year, with 188 projects under way in 15 states.

Nine states currently have producing projects. Utah is third-ranked, although far behind capacities in California and Nevada.

The report is available at www.geo-energy.org.