By Kirsten Marcia, President & CEO, DEEP Earth Energy
For Canada to meet its climate and carbon goals, the nation needs new clean technologies and sources of energy. A strategic source is geothermal energy which is a baseload clean energy with the ability to deliver power 24/7. Geothermal has the smallest environmental footprint of all renewables and does not disrupt animal migration or cause bird mortality. Compared to intermittent forms of renewable power like wind or solar, geothermal provides constant baseload capacity offsetting more than 2X the greenhouse gas emissions of wind and does not require natural gas back up.
DEEP Earth Energy is the foremost geothermal power corporation in Canada with the capacity for sizable and scalable economic power generation. We have successfully completed Canada’s first large volume production and injection test on its 100% owned geothermal power project. The project is utilizing Canada’s world class oil & gas technology and expertise – unleashed for the first time on renewable energy. The completion of this landmark field test reinforces DEEP’s leadership in this new Canadian clean energy industry and DEEP’s capacity to successfully complete construction of its first plant is set for +30MW commercial geothermal power facility by 2023.
DEEP is focused on developing geothermal in Southern Saskatchewan because the region’s unique geology hosts high temperature and high-volume fluids exceeding 120°C required for power generation. Testing to date has demonstrated that the optimum design for this first geothermal facility would generate 20MW of baseload power, enough to power for 20,000 households. This energy project is supported by a highly streamlined regulatory environment thanks to Saskatchewan’s 60 years of oil & gas development and over a century of mining operations, including world-leading uranium and potash operations. DEEP will sell power to SaskPower under Canada’s first geothermal power purchase agreement signed in 2017 as well as offer direct industrial heating opportunities.
Our team’s innovative work is being recognized across the country. Recently, I had the honor of being awarded the 2022 Canada’s Clean50 award for my leadership in the category of Renewable Energy. Canada’s Clean50 Awards are announced annually by Delta Management Group to recognize those 50 individuals or small teams, from 16 different categories, who have done the most to advance the cause of sustainability and clean capitalism in Canada over the past two years.
Gavin Pitchford, CEO, Delta Management Group said this of the technology: “Grid scale geothermal energy consists of underground reservoirs of steam and hot water deep below the surface that can be tapped to generate electricity for heating and cooling of buildings up on the surface – and then sent back to the source,” added Gavin Pitchford. “Kirsten, a professional geoscientist, and a resource entrepreneur is developing these resources to meet Canada’s increasing energy needs with sustainable, clean and renewable energy. DEEP is in the process of developing the first geothermal plant in Canada which will contribute to Canada’s advancement in renewable energy. The result of Kirsten’s vision will be 100MW of baseload power captured through five identical 20MW facilities – and a lot of jobs in Saskatchewan and Alberta’s burgeoning renewable energy sector.”
This recognition is a clear testament of the efforts made by the entire team, as together our team works to ensure that DEEP is Canada’s premier geothermal energy company. DEEP is helping to diversify Canada’s energy portfolio while supporting regional economic development in rural Saskatchewan and skilled oil and gas jobs in Western Canada.
www.DEEPcorp.ca
Originally published in Scovan’s IGNITE Vol. 3
