Manitoba, Canada announces plans for first large-scale geothermal system
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A planned mixed-use community development in Winnipeg is set to become the first large-scale geothermal heating and cooling system in Manitoba, Canada.
The province of Manitoba in Canada has unveiled plans for a $4 million geothermal heating and cooling system that will serve an 80-acre, mixed-use community development called Southwood Circle in Winnipeg. Development is still ongoing, but the system is targeting the start of supply of geothermal heating and cooling services to about 1000 new homes by 2028.
When the plan is implemented, the new development in Winnipeg will be the first large-scale geothermal heating and cooling system in Manitoba.
The planned development is near the University of Manitoba‘s Fort Garry campus in south Winnipeg. The land is owned by the university and is leased to developer Properties GP Inc., which will own the district geothermal system. According to Minister of Environment and Climate Change Mike Moyes, the system will prevent between 400 to 1600 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
“We are showing this can be the way forward. Before you can (determine), ‘This is going to go across the whole sector,’ we need to demonstrate a proof of concept, and that’s exactly what this is going to do,” added Moyes.
The geothermal project is part of Manitoba’s Net Zero Action Plan, which sets specific actions for Manitoba to achieve net zero status. This is a three-year, 90-action plan with a forecasted budget of more than $350 million. Other action plans included in the plan are the extension of an electric vehicle rebate program, the construction of new EV charging stations, and the implementation of a carbon offset and credit protocol.
The uptake of geothermal in Canada has been slow, but large-scale projects like the one in Canada can provide a good proof-of-concept that such solutions can be effective and commercially viable, particularly when they are designed to serve consolidated energy demand. On a national scale, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Canada had recently announced funding of approximately $468,000 to support the development of Canada’s first national roadmap for deep geothermal energy resources.
Source: The Free Press and Betakit