Geoscience BC Geothermal Study Zooms-in on Kootenay Lake Area Geothermal Potential
Project lead Gord MacMahon will present an online technical talk to the Canadian Energy Geoscience Association on March 27, 2024. Details will be confirmed in early March.
Vancouver, BC – January 9, 2024 – A new report published by Geoscience BC provides further evidence of a potential geothermal direct-heat source near Kootenay Lake in BC’s Southeast Region, enhancing the regional, net-zero emissions economy prospects.
The completion of the Kootenay Lake Geothermal Project – Phase Three advances the goal to inform clean energy decisions by industry, communities and Indigenous groups as they seek to develop low-carbon energy and heat solutions.
Advancing the potential to provide a direct-heat energy source to nearby communities, the latest research phase focused on the Crawford Creek warm spring activity. This had been identified in the second phase as having the most geothermal potential, owing to its proximity to a deep-seated fault that may act as a conduit for geothermal fluids from deep below the surface.
The research team collected a range of geotechnical data over the summer and fall of 2023 and developed a 3-D geological and geothermal model. The results provide further evidence of geothermal circulation within the highly fractured and extensive host quartzite, and the prospect of tapping into a geothermal reservoir over 75oC at depth.
Geoscience BC Manager, Energy and Water Randy Hughes said: "With each phase of this research project, the geothermal potential of the Kootenay Lake area is further refined. The prospect of direct-heat energy to nearby communities can attract investment and benefit the net-zero emissions economy in the Kootenay region.”
Phase Three of the project has seen successful, technical collaboration involving the University of Victoria and Selkirk College and was funded by Geoscience BC, the Regional District of Central Kootenay, Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP), CiCAN – Natural Resources Internship Program, and Mitacs.
Accessing information
To view the reports and maps, visit the project pages or view the information on Geoscience BC's Earth Science Viewer online mapping application.
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Our critical minerals and metals, cleaner energy and geological carbon capture and storage research is funded by industry, government and other partners. It informs evidence-based decisions by industry, governments, Indigenous groups and communities.
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Geoscience BC
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