Casino’s Gamble on Geothermal Energy in Reno/Nevada Pays Off
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Elaine West
- Edited
- 2 minutes
Having hosted a number of geothermal events by the Geothermal Resources Council, it did not come as much of a surprise when Reno’s Peppermill Resort Spa Casino decided to take advantage of its strategic location in the heart of Nevada’s energy industry to utilize the natural resource. The casino has a written a detailed report on how it is utilizing geothermal energy for its space and water heating on its website.
Peppermill has been working on a number of eco-friendly initiatives that are aimed at reducing its carbon footprint for some time now. The initiative kicked off a few years back with the Resort striving to minimize the effect of its operations on the environment without compromising on the premium services and experiences it was known for providing its guests with. Since its 2007 expansion project, the Peppermint Resort Spa Casino has been using geothermal energy to heat their domestic hot water for the Tuscany Tower, including its 43,000 square foot Spa Toscana and Fitness Center as well as its two outdoor swimming pools and spas.
At the moment, the entire Resort is now online to heat both its space and domestic water with geothermal energy after investing a whopping $9.7 million into the project.
“No one else has a geothermal well of this depth in the city of Reno,” said Dean Parker, Executive Facilities Director at the Peppermill. “In order for a well to produce the level of geothermal energy that could accomplish what we set out to do, we had to find water at 170 degrees that can pump 1,200 gallons per minute at 150 psi. With this well, we found that and more.”
This particular renewable energy project will go help the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino reduce its dependency on fossil fuels for various application in the establishment while at the same time saving the company a ton of money. The casino’s renewable energy endeavors begun as far back as 2009, when it ran a small geothermal power plant unit by Pratt & Whitney while utilizing water from the well on site.
