First DEEP Geothermal Well In Saskatchewan Exceeds Expectations

Source: Steve Hanley · CLEAN TECHNICA · | September 19, 2020

Source: DEEP

As a source of renewable energy, geothermal has one advantage over wind turbines and solar power plants. It is operates continuously all day, every day. That means the electricity it provides is dispatchable whenever it is needed regardless of how windy or sunny it is. Deep Earth Energy Production (DEEP) is a Canadian company that wants to use the hot water located beneath the Deadwood Formation in Saskatchewan to produce geothermal energy. The temperature of the brine sequestered beneath the surface averages 122º C.

Engineering reports indicate the Deadwood Formation aquifer is capable of supporting multiple geothermal generating facilities but first a plan has to be created to collect the groundwater, bring it to the surface, use it to generate electricity, then inject it back underground to be reheated. The process uses advanced drilling techniques developed by the fracking industry.

DEEP says it has completed a preliminary subsurface design that optimizes the well spacing and configuration to produce 20 MW of geothermal power using ten horizontal wells — 6 producers and 4 injectors. Each will be drilled to a vertical depth of approximately 3.5 kilometers and a horizontal length of approximately 2 kilometers. The subsurface development area for each 20 MW installation measures approximately 5 kilometers by 8 kilometers while the surface facilities cover an area of 300 square meters. It can generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 20,000 households and will eliminate 114,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide — equal to the exhaust emissions of 32,000 conventional automobiles.