cfd(zkl2xu9plhumqkg}k9wh_media_dl_1.png BloombergNEF; The Bureau of Land

For the first time in years, the U.S. federal government has leased every parcel of public land it has opened for geothermal development — and at record prices.

Average prices for public land leases for geothermal energy development soared by 282 per cent this year to US$127 per acre, driven by growing energy demand from data centers and President Donald Trump’s administration embracing the energy source. The record prices are a major step up from US$33-per-acre average last year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the agency that conducts the auctions.

Geothermal companies tap the Earth’s heat to generate power. While it currently generates a small share of all U.S. electricity, a wave of

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