The Texas General Land Office is inviting energy companies to propose geothermal projects, small modular nuclear reactors and natural gas plants on state-owned land, Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., announced in a Sept. 15 news release.
The effort would open a new revenue stream for land that has long produced oil and gas royalties, and it points the agency toward power sources the state has not traditionally developed on its own acreage. The agency said it is opening a Request for Information process to qualified companies, developers, technology providers, energy producers and other interested parties.
“Texas built its economy by putting our natural resources to work, and we cannot afford to stop innovation now,” Buckingham said. “Our state needs dependable energy to power homes, businesses, manufacturing, and the next generation of American industries. We have an opportunity to look beyond traditional energy sources and develop the resources and technologies that can keep Texas powered for decades to come.”
Buckingham said the three technologies “represent very different approaches to the same challenge: producing dependable power right here at home,” adding that the agency will explore every responsible opportunity to make Texas energy stronger, more reliable and more secure.
According to the release, respondents interested in geothermal or nuclear exploration and development on Permanent School Fund lands can submit interest through links posted by the agency. A separate Request for Information focused on expanding natural gas plant opportunities on state-owned land will be released soon, the agency said.
Development on those lands generates revenue for the Permanent School Fund, which supports Texas public education. The agency said the initiative is the first pillar of its Texas Engine: Fueled, Fed and Fortified Initiative and part of a broader effort to identify how state lands can support economic growth, energy security and national security.
The land office pointed to its recent work on critical minerals as a parallel example, including efforts surrounding USA Rare Earth’s Round Top Mountain project in Hudspeth County, which the agency said is expected to begin commercial production in 2028 and is intended to strengthen the domestic supply chain for rare earth elements.