Canada to get first large-scale geothermal power plant

• 1 year, 2 months ago (2023-02-07)
• David Flin

Gas 370 North America 996

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Saskatchewan’s Deep Earth Energy Production Corporation said that it will begin construction this year on Canada’s first commercial-scale geothermal power production facility. Deep Earth Energy will be using drilling techniques developed for drilling oil.

Deep Earth Energy has announced that procurement and engineering work has already begun on the first phase of a 25 MW power facility in southeast Saskatchewan, close to the US border. The project will be supported by a previously announced 5 MW PPA with SaskPower – the first geothermal power contract in Canada.

Construction and drilling on the first 5 MW phase will start in Q4 2023, with first power production expected by summer 2024. The next 20 MW segment is not yet fully financed.

The project will use oilfield horizontal drilling techniques to access geothermal power, with wells drilled to a depth of about 3.5 km and horizontally for an additional 3 km. Deep Earth Energy said similar well designs are routinely used in oil and gas, but application of these techniques to renewables is new.