Planning commission approves Fervo Energy exploratory geothermal program across the 40‑Mile Desert

The Churchill County Planning Commission on Feb. 12 unanimously approved a special‑use permit allowing Fervo Energy (filed as 40 Mile Desert Resources LLC) to conduct phased geothermal exploration across an area of checkerboarded private and federal sections in the county's 40‑Mile Desert.

The vote follows a multihour presentation and public comment period during which company representatives described a two‑phase plan to build temporary well pads, drill directional paired wells that extend horizontally into hot rock, stimulate those zones, and test the resulting production for potential future power plants.

Dean Patterson, Public Works and Planning, told the commission the project differs from the county’s existing geothermal operations because it uses paired deep directional wells and stimulation to create flow paths in hot rock rather than relying on naturally permeable formations. “This method pairs drills paired wells a mile or so deep to hot rock formations, and then uses directional drilling to create horizontal well bores,” Patterson said. He described the project as…