Geoscience BC study reaffirms geothermal potential in Kootenay Lake, BC, Canada

Source: Carlo Cariaga | · THINK GEOENERGY · | January 10, 2024

Detailed data collection and modeling by Geoscience BC indicates a geothermal reservoir over 75 °C hosted in quartzite at the Kootenay Lake site in BC, Canada.

Source: Kootenay Lake, British Columbia, Canada (source: Mari Smith / flickr, Creative Commons)

A new report published by Geoscience BC provides further evidence of a potential geothermal direct-heat source near Kootenay Lake in the Southeast Region of British Columbia, Canada. The findings enhance the net-zero emissions economy prospects of the region.

The completion of the Kootenay Lake Geothermal Project – Phase Three advances the goal to inform clean energy decisions by industry, communities and Indigenous groups as they seek to develop low-carbon energy and heat solutions.

Advancing the potential to provide a direct-heat energy source to nearby communities, the latest research phase focused on the Crawford Creek warm spring activity. This had been identified in the second phase as having the most geothermal potential, owing to its proximity to a deep-seated fault that may act as a conduit for geothermal fluids from deep below the surface.

The research team collected a range of geotechnical data over the summer and fall of 2023 and developed a 3-D geological and geothermal model. The results provide further evidence of geothermal circulation within the highly fractured and extensive host quartzite, and the prospect of tapping into a geothermal reservoir over 75 °C at depth.