The Tu-Deh-Kah geothermal undertaking includes changing the Clarke Lake Fuel Discipline, which is situated roughly 14 kilometres southwest of Fort Nelson, into harvesting warmth from extremely porous Devonian carbonate within the floor.
In keeping with Jim Hodgson, the undertaking chief govt officer, the plan is to have 5 to 6 producing wells, to convey the recent geothermal brine as much as the formation.
The brine will then be run by a warmth exchanger, the place it will likely be transformed into steam by way of a working fluid, almost definitely isobutane, attributable to its very low boiling level.
“Warmth will come out the bottom at round 114 to 120 Celsius,” mentioned Hodgson. “It’ll flash the dimensions of butane which can be transformed into steam and generate energy.”
Monday night’s undertaking on the Chalo Health club on FNFN grounds included Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Mayor Rob Fraser and councillor Leslie Dickie in addition to members of the Tu-Deh-Kah administrative workforce.
It additionally included former chief Curtis Dickie, who was FNFN lead when preliminary plans have been unveiled in 2019.
After shopping for the location from Tallahassee Power, they examined the speculation utilizing a high-volume pump check in 2021.
“While you do a geothermal undertaking, it’s essential do two issues: to find out if it’s bankable and if it’s even technically possible,” defined Hodgson.
“Our exams did certainly present it might ship 70-80 litres per second of scorching brine to the floor after which put it again into the bottom. So it’s very prolific.”
Additional exams in 2022 proved the vitality could be sustainable. Hodgson says plans have been to make use of as a lot of the outdated infrastructure as attainable, though preliminary estimates got here again greater than anticipated.
He says the newer plans contain extra pad drilling, which “shrunk down the footprints” of the undertaking.
Hodgson provides that full electrical energy buy agreements can be in place by the tip of 2024, and outright nicely drilling will start by subsequent summer season.
The undertaking, wholly owned by the FNFN neighborhood, will generate roughly 7 to fifteen megawatts of electrical energy, able to offering energy to five,000 houses.
Hodgson says the undertaking ought to have the floor construction in place by 2026, and be operational by 2027.
