Beaver County, Utah is a rural region making big moves in geothermal — home to legacy power from Blundell, research leadership through FORGE, EGS development from Fervo Energy, and AGS innovation via Rodatherm.
In this episode, we talk with Jen Wakeland, Strategic Development Director of Beaver County, Utah, in her last few weeks in the role before transitioning to working for the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity as the Business Development Director.
In our conversation, breaks down how this momentum happened, what developers need to know about working in rural communities, and how infrastructure, permitting, and community trust all converge in a place like Beaver.
🔍 Topics covered — with actionable insights:
How Beaver became development-ready:
Legacy geothermal (Blundell) built long-term technical capacity
FORGE helped de-risk local resources and validate commercial potential
Local land use plans and zoning evolved to support new industries like data centers
What developers get right (and wrong) when entering a rural region:
Start early, be transparent, and show up in person — relationships are non-negotiable
Hire local when possible to create early advocates and community trust
Bring challenges to the county — staff can often solve more than you’d expect
Infrastructure challenges tackled head-on:
Housing: Coordinated residential development and temporary RV sites for construction crews
Workforce: Planning for both short-term labor and long-term population growth
Transmission: Collaborating with local offtakers (like data centers) to reduce export dependence and boost resilience
Keeping cities, counties, and the state aligned:
Monthly economic development boards with reps from schools, towns, and state agencies
Direct lines to BLM, utilities, and legislators for rapid problem-solving
Shared public milestones (like casing ceremonies) to reinforce buy-in
The roadmap for being a good community partner:
Be visible at local events — rodeos, Pioneer Day, the county fair
Communicate openly about seismicity, water use, and system monitoring
Engage across the full ecosystem — not just during permitting
🎧 If you're building geothermal or siting clean energy in rural America, this episode shows what real alignment looks like — and why it matters.
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