A venture exploring geothermal warmth and power sources from Kootenay Lake is transferring out of the exploration phases and into the monetary planning area because the venture continues.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay Space A financial growth fee supported a $10,000 allocation — at their Sept. 10 common assembly — to the draft 2025 monetary plan for the South Kootenay Lake Neighborhood Providers Society to help section 5 of the Kootenay Lake Geothermal Challenge.
The venture is in response to the seek for clear power sources, and a necessity to higher perceive the potential for the province’s geothermal areas to be developed as property that may present warmth or power sources. The Space A venture — which started as an concept in 2019 and in earnest in 2021 — helps to grasp the geothermal potential within the Kootenay Lake space.
In section 4 in 2024, information was gathered to justify drilling a nicely in quest of hotter waters — with exploration work together with space on the opposite facet of the lake, particularly round Ainsworth — that might help excessive sufficient temperatures and substantial stream charges to be developed for business use.
In a September report back to the fee, lead volunteer researcher Gord MacMahon referenced drilling and testing and mentioned the venture “has not reached that stage.”
Funding help for section 4 to finish {the electrical} resistivity tomography (ERT) work was not secured, so a magnetometer survey was performed as a substitute in Riondel, which a drone was used to finish late final yr. Geochemical evaluation is being examined at College of Calgary and College of Ottawa.
The third section of analysis centered on the Crawford Creek space — recognized in section two as having probably the most geothermal potential — with work throughout in 2023 producing geotechnical information wanted for a 3D geological and geothermal mannequin.?
“The outcomes proceed to offer proof of a geothermal system at Crawford Creek that might entry geothermal fluids in extra of 75°C,” famous a report from Geoscience BC.
In section two a examine passed off in an space of deeply rooted faults — preferential pathways for decent geothermal fluids to stream — that date to the Eocene (55.8 to 33.9 million years in the past) and which can be related to close by scorching springs.
Previous to the examine, the Dewar Creek scorching spring was identified to have the most well liked measured floor temperature in BC (82°C) and information for the Ainsworth Scorching Springs instructed a most temperature at depth of 165°C.
“This, mixed with an in depth analysis of the realm’s geology, indicated that the east shore of Kootenay Lake was ideally located to check the feasibility of creating a geothermal useful resource,” the Geoscience report for section two learn.
This second section examine performed geological, geochemical and geospatial analyses over an space encompassing Grey Creek within the south, Tam O’Shanter Creek within the north and Mount Crawford within the east.
New wind energy location
At the side of the venture, BC Hydro is transferring forward in creating 10 new websites for wind energy, one space recognized for a wind website location is the ridge above Duck Creek, north of Creston.
Early in September 2024, Fortis opened a request for expression of curiosity interval that organizations may submit purposes for brand new energy, one which the Kootenay Lake Geothermal Challenge crew put collectively an expression of curiosity software.
Timothy Schafer
