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Code of Federal Regulations Title 43. Public Lands:  Interior § 43.3211.17 What is the royalty rate on geothermal resources produced from or attributable to my lease that are used for commercial generation of electricity?

Current as of January 02, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) For leases issued on or after August 8, 2005 (other than leases issued in response to applications that were pending on that date for which the lessee does not make an election under § 3200.8(b)(1)), the royalty rate is the rate prescribed in this paragraph.

(1) If you or your affiliate sell(s) electricity generated by use of geothermal resources produced from or attributed to your lease, then:

(i) For the first 10 years of production, the royalty rate is 1.75 percent;

(ii) After the first 10 years of production, the royalty rate is 3.5 percent;  and

(iii) You must apply the rate established under this paragraph to the gross proceeds derived from the sale of electricity under applicable MMS rules at 30 CFR part 206, subpart H.

(2) If you or your affiliate sell(s) geothermal resources produced from or attributed to your lease at arm's length to a purchaser who uses those resources to generate electricity, then the royalty rate is 10 percent. You must apply that rate to the gross proceeds derived from the arm's-length sale of the geothermal resources under applicable MMS rules at 30 CFR part 206, subpart H.

(b) For leases issued before August 8, 2005, whose royalty terms are modified to the terms prescribed in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 under § 3212.25, BLM will establish royalty rates under paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section.

(1) For leases that, prior to submitting a request to modify the royalty rate terms of the lease under section 3212.26, produced geothermal resources for the commercial generation of electricity, or to which geothermal resource production for the commercial generation of electricity was attributed:

(i) If you or your affiliate uses geothermal resources produced from or attributed to your lease to generate and sell electricity, BLM will establish a rate on a case-by-case basis that it expects will yield total royalty payments over the life of the lease equivalent to those that would have been paid under the royalty rate in effect for the lease before August 5, 2005. The rate is not limited to the range of rates specified in 30 U.S.C. 1004(a)(1). You must apply the rate that BLM establishes to the gross proceeds derived from the sale of electricity under applicable MMS rules at 30 CFR part 206, subpart H.

(ii) If you or your affiliate sells geothermal resources produced from or attributed to your lease at arm's length to a purchaser who uses those resources to generate electricity, the royalty rate is the rate specified in the lease instrument. You must apply that rate to the gross proceeds derived from the arm's-length sale of the geothermal resources under applicable MMS rules at 30 CFR part 206, subpart H.

(2) For leases that, prior to submitting a request to modify the royalty rate terms of the lease under section 3212.26, did not produce geothermal resources for the commercial generation of electricity, and to which geothermal resource production for the commercial generation of electricity was not attributed, BLM will establish royalty rates equal to those set forth in paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section, whichever is applicable.

(c) For leases issued before August 8, 2005, whose royalty terms are not modified to the terms prescribed in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 under § 3212.25, and for leases issued in response to applications pending on that date for which the lessee does not make an election under § 3200.8(b)(1), the royalty rate is the rate prescribed in the lease instrument.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Code of Federal Regulations Title 43. Public Lands:  Interior § 43.3211.17 What is the royalty rate on geothermal resources produced from or attributable to my lease that are used for commercial generation of electricity? - last updated January 02, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/cfr/title-43-public-lands-interior/cfr-sect-43-3211-17/

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