7 megawatts of geothermal electricity power 15,000 Bay Area residents and businesses as of June 1
SAN RAFAEL and CONCORD, Calif. — Local electricity supplier, MCE, has doubled down on around-the-clock geothermal electricity to provide more renewable, reliable energy for Bay Area residents and businesses.
The 7 megawatts of geothermal power come from The Geysers, a 725-megawatt complex of geothermal plants in Lake and Sonoma counties owned and managed by Calpine Corporation. MCE is the first of two buyers to receive deliveries from Calpine’s 25-megawatt expansion, North Geysers Incremental Development project.
“Geothermal electricity is available continuously day and night which is a major benefit when it comes to providing renewable, reliable power for our community,” said Dawn Weisz, MCE’s chief executive officer. “It’s a key solution to meet the growing demand for electricity with stable rates while reducing pollution to keep our communities healthy.”
Geothermal energy generates energy around-the-clock, fulfilling electricity demand during critical evening hours when electricity costs and emissions are highest.
“We continue to grow The Geysers project by drilling additional wells and building a new collection system. Through that expansion, Calpine plans to add an additional 25-megawatts of capacity, and MCE is purchasing the initial segment of our clean renewable power to meet the reliability needs of their customers,” said Calpine’s Gevan Reeves, Vice President of Origination.
The 7 megawatts of expanded geothermal energy capacity from The Geysers:
- Supplies electricity to more than 15,000 households annually in MCE’s service area across Contra Costa, Marin, Napa and Solano counties
- Includes $50,000 in community benefit funds from Calpine Corporation to expand access to clean energy technology and local green jobs in underserved communities near the project sites or in MCE’s service area
- Started powering homes and businesses on June 1, 2025
Learn more about how MCE sources renewable energy at stable rates for Bay Area residents and businesses at mcecleanenergy.org/energy-sources/.
###
About MCE: MCE is a not-for-profit public agency and the preferred electricity provider for more than 585,000 customer accounts and 1.5 million residents and businesses across Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties. Setting the standard for clean energy in California since 2010, MCE leads with 60-100% renewable, fossil-free power at stable rates, serving a 1400 MW peak load, significantly reducing greenhouse emissions, and reinvesting millions in local programs. For more information about MCE, visit mcecleanenergy.org, or follow us on your preferred social platform @mceCleanEnergy.
About Calpine Corporation: Calpine Corporation is America’s largest generator of electricity from natural gas and geothermal resources with operations in competitive power markets. Our fleet of 79 energy facilities in operation represents over 27,000 megawatts of generation capacity. Through wholesale power operations and our retail businesses, we serve customers in 22 states and Canada. Our clean, efficient, modern and flexible fleet uses advanced technologies to generate power in a low-carbon and environmentally responsible manner. We are uniquely positioned to benefit from the secular trends affecting our industry, including the abundant and affordable supply of clean natural gas, environmental regulation, aging power generation infrastructure and the increasing need for dispatchable power plants to successfully integrate intermittent renewables into the grid. If you would like to learn more about Calpine, follow us: X.com/Calpine or Linkedin.com/Calpine.