The Geysers Power Company, LLC, an indirect subsidiary of Calpine Corporation, has signed two new long-term agreements to provide a total of 107 megawatts (MW) of renewable, geothermal power to MCE to serve four Bay Area communities in Northern California. The new agreements promise to expand access to clean, reliable energy in Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano Counties.

“The Calpine team is proud to work alongside our partners at MCE to help more Bay Area families and businesses enjoy reliable, clean, and affordable energy,” said Calpine’s Gevan Reeves, Vice President of Origination. “Calpine was founded nearly 40 years ago on principles of sustainability, and our latest agreements reflect our continuous focus on innovative solutions for a low-carbon future, from geothermal energy to carbon capture and grid-connected storage.”

Under the new power purchase agreements with MCE, Calpine will provide 100 MW of existing generation over 10 years. In addition, it will deliver 7 MW of new generation over 20 years.

“Calpine’s geothermal power will provide enough energy for 156,000 MCE customers each year,” said Vicken Kasarjian, MCE’s Chief Operating Officer. “Geothermal is a reliable, around-the-clock source of electricity that is not dependent on weather conditions, making it an obvious choice in the transition toward a carbon-free energy economy.”

Located north of San Francisco, The Geysers is the single largest geothermal electrical operation in the world. A geothermal resource occurs when water deep below the earth’s surface is heated by exposure to hot, porous and permeable rock resulting in dry steam or hot water. At The Geysers, steam is collected and piped overland to a network of interconnected power plants where it spins conventional steam turbines that drive generators to produce clean, reliable electricity for California.