Navajo Nation plans geothermal greenhouse fuelled by mine water
Coal Plant near Farmington, New Mexico (source: flickr/ Doc Searls, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
10 Aug 2016
Tapping into geothermal water in an old coal mine, the Navajo Nation in New Mexico is planning a geothermal greenhouse project in cooperation with the Colorado School of Mines.
Reported from Colorado in the U.S., the Navajo Nation, an indigenous group in New Mexico, could soon see the development of a geothermal greenhouse.
In partnership with Colorado University it is hoped that the project could utilise a geothermal resources from a a coal mine bought by the Navajo Nation from international coal company BHP in late 2012. It then founded the Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) to help manage the Navajo Mine near Farmington, New Mexico.
A recent decision authorizes resource exploration, a project feasibility study, and allows NTEC to seek outside funding for energy development pertaining to the geothermal project.
With the geothermal project as pilot project, it plans to explore and develop geothermal resources in Tohatchi, New Mexico, north of Gallup.
NTEC began exploring potential geothermal projects in the fall of 2015 and formed a partnership with the Colorado School of Mines. Current plans include geothermal greenhouses that would grow local plants and trees, its goal to provide jobs for the local community. The greenhouses could also help build capacity at Navajo Technical University in nearby Crownpoint by supplying opportunities for student research and collaboration in the project.
