From CFACT

BY JESPER JOLMA:

In 2021, we filed for a federal permit to build a geothermal plant in the American West. We expected the permitting process to take months. It took three years.

In between, our capital and team were tied up in documentation and responses, serving the process rather than the project. Several years of delayed progress isn’t just a paperwork issue. It is a missed opportunity for American energy independence. A project that could have delivered 24/7 reliable power to American homes and industry remained stalled.

Since entering the US market in 2020 as a geothermal development company, we have faced countless challenges in getting permits approved for projects – even in areas that previously have undergone significant review over decades of previous exploration. Despite continuously completing all requested work, the actual processes have been very difficult to understand. Timelines have never been kept due to repeated meeting rescheduling, complete disregard for processing timelines, and seemingly a lack of interest to advance any application.

We’re one of hundreds of companies across the country ready to build and supply our nation with local, reliable, affordable, and clean power. We’ve lined up the capital, the engineering, and the local partnerships, but we’re often held back by an unpredictable permitting process. Everyone from grid operators to the Pentagon to local utility commissions agrees: demand is rising and supply has to keep up. The only holdup is getting permission to build.

While we deeply respect the importance of thorough environmental assessments and regulatory oversight – critical components of responsible development – we also see an opportunity to improve transparency, efficiency, and timelines. A more predictable process would allow us to move forward with confidence, bringing projects online faster and unlocking short-term potential while ensuring long-term sustainability.

Complex permitting rules slows down American ingenuity and discourages investment. When investors face uncertain timelines, the message often becomes: “Let’s talk when you’ve got the permits.” This uncertainty doesn’t just stall one project; it affects the capital for the next ten.

Communities feel it too. The jobs, the local spending, and reliable power that come with these projects are put on hold.

If America is serious about leading in advanced manufacturing, data centers, and the industries of the future, we need far more electricity than today’s system can deliver. The answer isn’t to force households, businesses, and industries to fight over a shrinking pool of power. The answer is to build more supply, faster, and with more confidence.

At Baseload Power U.S., we develop energy projects that use the Earth’s heat to provide affordable, reliable, domestic, and clean power around the clock – no matter the weather, season, or time of day. Our projects use proven technology, have compact footprints, require little water, and ensure long‑term partnerships with local communities. We’re even repowering sites that have long been turned off, allowing local communities to reclaim their own power.

Fixing the permitting process will empower American companies to hire and grow, let communities plan around real projects, and allow investors to back critical infrastructure with confidence. Clearer timelines, upfront guidance on requirements and expectations, improved communication and clear accountability will help mitigate stress on small companies like ours and allow us to plan accordingly.

America has an abundance of natural resources, like geothermal energy, ready to meet our rising power needs. The question isn’t whether the science or the technology works, it’s whether we can modernize regulatory processes to match our ambitions. To federal and local policymakers: let us build and we will.

Jesper Jolma is President, Baseload Power U.S.

This article originally appeared  at Real Clear Energy