Small community in Alberta exploring geothermal heating and power option
A small community in Alberta/ Canada is exploring the option for the development of a geothermal project that could heat and possibly even power the local community.
The town of Hinton, in the province of Alberta in Canada is looking at tapping into geothermal energy for heating and power, as announced locally.
With the concern of this effecting oil and gas activities in the region, the plan is to use either abandoned oil wells or those nearing the end of life to be used. There are several oil wells in the area and this will be an opportunity to give these wells new life. Oil and gas companies will also be involved.
A pre-feasibility study and a deep dive study have been done in the area. It was found that Hinton was sitting on one of the hottest areas in the western slope so it would be a good starting point. Temperatures were found to be from around 70 degrees and 175 degrees Celsius. We reported on this before.
The plan would be to connect public buildings with geothermal heating, with three loops being discussed. These would connect local government, the local police and the fire department, as well as the hospital and later schools.
In his presentation the mayor of Hinton Rob Mackin, said that “the cost of heating will be competitive with natural gas and possibly lower.”
So while this naturally does not mean the project will happen it is interesting to see these discussions starting across Western Canada.
Source: EdsonLeader