The Government of Canada has announced support for a new geothermal power facility near Estevan in Southeastern Saskatchewan. The energy project, led by DEEP Earth Energy Production Corporation, is the first of its kind in Canada and taps into a new renewable energy resource.
“DEEP’s project has the potential to transform how the province and the country produces energy,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The Government of Canada will provide $25.6 million in funding for the five megawatt facility, which will produce enough energy to power approximately 5,000 homes all while taking the equivalent of the yearly emissions of 7,400 cars out of the atmosphere. The project will create 100 jobs during construction, provide the provincial power grid with clean, renewable energy, and create new business opportunities for local communities.
Funding for this project is being provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Emerging Renewable Power Program. In 2014, Natural Resources Canada contributed $1 million through its ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative for a pre-feasibility study for this project. Natural Resource Canada’s Clean Energy Innovation Program and Innovation Saskatchewan also contributed $350,000 and $175,000, respectively, towards test drilling. The total cost of the project is $51.3 million.
The local community will channel excess heat from the facility to a 45-acre greenhouse for commercial use. Sustainable, affordable clean heating for major commercial greenhouses present new opportunities for the Saskatchewan agricultural sector.
The project will pave the way for additional investment in the Williston Basin, which has the capacity to support several hundred megawatts of power generating capacity.
