BLM Idaho nets $1.3 million on 17 parcels in geothermal lease sale
Triumph, Idaho (source: Matthew.kowal, CC BY-SA 4.0 
Carlo Cariaga
6 Jan 2026
The Bureau of Land Management has received about $1.3 million in winning bids on a geothermal lease sale in Idaho held in December 2025.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has accepted $1.3 million in winning bids on 17 parcels in Idaho totaling about 68,025 acres for a geothermal lease sale. The parcels offered on this lease sale are under the authority of the Burley, Shoshone, and Bruneau Field Offices. A total of 18 parcels were offered during the day of the sale, and 11 companies registered to participate.
A previous geothermal lease sale in Idaho, held in September 2025, received considerably higher bids – a total of $4.4 million on 9 parcels. Another geothermal lease sale in Idaho is scheduled for October 2026.
The combined bonus bids, rentals, and subsequent royalties from the leases will be distributed between the U.S. Treasury, the State of Idaho, and the Blaine, Camas, Cassia, and Owyhee counties where the parcels are located.
In October 2025, a geothermal lease sale set new records in Nevada, receiving more than $9 million in bids on 86 parcels. With apparent support from the United States government, there has been growing interest from private companies to develop geothermal resources in US federal lands.
Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal geothermal resources. The BLM ensures geothermal development meets the requirements set forth by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and other applicable legal authorities. Geothermal is an abundant resource, especially in the West, where the BLM has authority to manage geothermal resource leasing, exploration, and development on approximately 245 million surface acres of public lands and the 700 million acres where the United States owns the subsurface mineral estate.
Source: BLM
