Company Description
Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ORA) is a geothermal and renewable energy company in the utilities sector, with a core focus on geothermal electric power generation and recovered energy generation ("REG"). According to the company’s public disclosures, Ormat is the only vertically integrated company engaged in geothermal and REG, combining ownership and operation of power plants with in‑house design, manufacturing and construction capabilities. The company also reports robust plans to expand its presence in the energy storage market.
Ormat states that it owns, operates, designs, manufactures and sells geothermal and REG power plants, primarily based on the Ormat Energy Converter – a power generation unit that converts low-, medium- and high‑temperature heat into electricity. Over its history, Ormat has engineered, manufactured and constructed power plants that it owns or has installed for utilities and developers worldwide, totaling approximately 3,400–3,600 MW of gross capacity, as reflected in recent company press releases.
Business segments and activities
Based on company descriptions and segment disclosures, Ormat’s activities are organized around three main areas:
- Electricity segment – Ormat develops, builds, owns and operates geothermal, solar photovoltaic (PV) and recovered energy‑based power plants in the United States and geothermal power plants in other countries, and sells the electricity generated. The company highlights a geothermal and solar generation portfolio spread across the U.S., Kenya, Guatemala, Indonesia, Honduras and Guadeloupe.
- Product segment – Ormat designs, manufactures and sells equipment for geothermal and recovered energy‑based electricity generation, and provides services related to the engineering, procurement and construction of geothermal and recovered energy‑based power plants.
- Energy Storage segment – Ormat owns and operates grid‑connected energy storage facilities that provide capacity, energy and ancillary services directly to the electric grid. The company has reported an operating energy storage portfolio located in the U.S., including projects such as the Lower Rio energy storage facility in Texas and the Arrowleaf solar‑plus‑storage project in California.
Generation and storage portfolio
In recent announcements, Ormat has reported a total generating portfolio in the range of approximately 1.6–1.7 GW. Within this, the company has described a geothermal and solar generation portfolio of around 1.3 GW distributed globally in the U.S., Kenya, Guatemala, Indonesia, Honduras and Guadeloupe, and an energy storage portfolio of several hundred megawatts located in the U.S. The company has also highlighted specific assets and milestones, such as the commencement of commercial operations at the Arrowleaf hybrid solar and battery energy storage project in California and the Lower Rio battery energy storage system in Texas.
Ormat’s public communications emphasize that it has been active in geothermal power for multiple decades, describing itself as a leading geothermal company with over five or six decades of experience, depending on the specific release. The company has leveraged its geothermal and REG expertise and global presence to expand into energy storage services, solar PV and energy storage plus solar PV configurations.
Project development and partnerships
Ormat’s business model, as described in its press releases, combines long‑term power purchase agreements (PPAs), tolling agreements and project development activities. Examples include a 25‑year PPA extension with the Southern California Public Power Authority for output from the Heber 1 geothermal facility in Southern California, and a 20‑year PPA with Switch for approximately 13 MW of geothermal capacity from the Salt Wells power plant in Nevada, with an option to add a solar PV facility to serve auxiliary power needs.
The company also reports that it has entered into strategic collaborations to advance next‑generation geothermal technologies. These include a strategic commercial agreement with Sage Geosystems Inc. to pilot Pressure Geothermal technology at an existing Ormat power plant, and an agreement with SLB to fast‑track development and commercialization of integrated geothermal assets and enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). Under these collaborations, Ormat expects to pilot new geothermal technologies at its sites, with potential rights to develop, build, own and operate geothermal power plants and energy storage projects using the partner technologies.
International concessions and exploration
Ormat has also described expansion of its development pipeline through international concessions and agreements. For example, the company announced that it was awarded the Telaga Ranu Geothermal Working Area in Indonesia by the Government of Indonesia under the authority of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, following a competitive tender. This concession provides long‑term rights to explore and develop a geothermal resource in Halmahera, North Maluku, and is described as having potential to support up to 40 MW of baseload geothermal energy, as reflected in Indonesia’s Electricity Supply Plan.
In addition, Ormat has reported signing Geothermal Exploration and Energy Conversion Agreements (GEECA) with the Indonesian utility PLN, each covering up to 20 MW of geothermal capacity. Under these agreements, Ormat states that it will undertake exploration drilling, finance, design, construction, installation and operation of geothermal power plants on a build‑operate‑transfer basis, with PLN retaining an option to acquire an equity interest.
Stock listing and regulatory reporting
According to its Form 8‑K and other SEC filings, Ormat Technologies, Inc. lists its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol ORA. The company files periodic and current reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including earnings announcements and other material events. In a recent Form 8‑K, Ormat reported its earnings for a fiscal quarter and furnished a press release containing financial information, including references to non‑GAAP measures such as Adjusted EBITDA.
Role in the utilities and renewable energy sector
Within the utilities sector, Ormat positions itself, in its own disclosures, as a geothermal and renewable energy company with vertically integrated capabilities in geothermal and recovered energy generation, and with plans to expand in U.S. energy storage markets. Its activities span power plant ownership and operation, equipment manufacturing, project development and long‑term contractual arrangements with utilities, public power authorities and other energy buyers. The company’s mix of geothermal generation, solar PV, energy storage and recovered energy projects reflects its stated focus on renewable and low‑carbon power solutions.