Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham on Tuesday announced that her office would "explore the development" of geothermal, natural gas and small nuclear power plants on state land.
"We have an opportunity to look beyond traditional energy sources and develop the resources and technologies that can keep Texas powered for decades to come," Buckingham said in a news release. "Geothermal, advanced nuclear technology and natural gas plants represent very different approaches to the same challenge: producing dependable power right here at home. The GLO is going to explore every responsible opportunity to make Texas energy stronger, more reliable, and more secure."
The Texas Geothermal Energy Alliance praised Buckingham's announcement.
"Texas is proving that geothermal is happening now, and it’s happening here," the alliance's executive vice president Matt Welch said in a statement.
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) leases state land for oil and gas development, farming, solar and wind farms and other commercial uses, allocating the money to fund state schools.
"Allowing surface property to be developed for power plants ... [and] geothermal energy sites — that's all part of the portfolio and usage of Texas land," University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Hirs said.
Hirs said the GLO's announcement isn't surprising.
"The Texas General Land Office is always looking for ways to make some money off of the land," he said. "Opening it up for power plant development is just a logical extension of their business model."
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