Hudson Ranch is a high-enthalpy, high-salinity geothermal resource located in California’s Salton Sea field. The plant currently has a generating capacity of 60 MW, supported by four production wells and five injection wells.
The wells at Hudson Ranch produce with artesian well pressure, delivering more than 4 million pounds of liquid and steam to the plant each hour.
Resource & Plant
The Salton Sea resource is characterized by high temperatures and high salinity. Produced steam is condensed and re-injected into the reservoir along with the liquid fraction and treated non-condensable gases (NCGs).
This reinjection approach has helped maintain the resource, with the field showing no appreciable evidence of decline.
The high salt content of the resource, along with certain NCG species, requires the use of specialized alloys and routine mechanical cleaning to maintain plant performance.
Recent Development
The newest addition to the Hudson Ranch well field is Well 13-4, which was drilled in 2023 and has an estimated standalone capacity of 27 MW.
The well is operated in concert with the rest of the well field to help reduce the rate of salt precipitation and the frequency of well cleanouts.