Small town fears quakes from geothermal energy project

ANDERSON SPRINGS

On a ridgetop above Anderson Springs, Bay Area startup AltaRock Energy Inc. is drilling a hole more than 2 miles deep. As soon as August, the company plans to inject high-pressure water to crack the solid, 500-degree Fahrenheit bedrock, creating an artificial reservoir of superheated water. The steam will then be used to drive electrical turbines.

If the test works, it could pave the way for essentially limitless exploitation of the heat energy in Earth’s crust.

The Sacramento Bee