Another Saskatchewan innovation — anticipated to be the first Canadian 100 per cent naturally sourced geothermal power facility — took a major step forward this week with its announcement that engineering and procurement activities have started and field construction is planned.
DEEP stands for Deep Earth Energy Production. It is the perfect acronym that sounds like a science fiction movie title but it is going to be reality later this year when construction on the project in the southeast corner of the province gets underway.
DEEP is a Saskatoon-based firm that wants to harness the energy of super-heated water several kilometers below the surface to generate electricity. The firm drilled a test well near Torquay, west of Estevan, and discovered water temperatures of 120 C.
SaskPower granted the firm a power purchase agreement. Now, DEEP has announced it has cleared the financial hurdles to begin construction of Phase One later this year. Design work on a second phase suggests the project could provide electricity for as many as 25,000 homes with 100 per cent emission-free energy.
The project is the first in the country and will strengthen Saskatchewan’s reputation as an energy supplier with one more power source.
