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May 18, 2010CanGEA responds to Grasby and Majorowicz report
GEOTHERMAL POWER COULD MEET CANADA’S POWER NEEDS
Calgary, AB – A recent report by Stephen Grasby and Jacek Majorowicz estimated that all of Canada’s power needs could potentially be met by developing Canada’s deep geothermal resources through enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). The Canadian Geothermal Energy Association, on behalf of its members, welcomes the report’s findings but stresses the need to first develop Canada’s traditional geothermal resources before proceeding with EGS technology.
There is tremendous potential for Canada’s easily accessible geothermal resources, estimated to be greater than 5,000 MW. Including EGS and other new technologies this figure rises significantly. However, enhanced systems are often met with increased costs and require cutting edge technology to reach depths of roughly 10 kilometres as mentioned in the Grasby & Majorowicz report. Rather, the focus should be on developing Canada’s more tangible geothermal resources which in many cases are already flowing to the surface in the form of hot springs and pools.
Furthermore, CanGEA members have the knowledge and expertise to bring these traditional geothermal resources online for power production. With over 72 projects under development representing more than 1,400 MW, and nearly 2,000 MW of installed geothermal capacity CanGEA members are truly world leaders in the development of geothermal energy. Although most of this activity takes place outside of Canada there is nevertheless an abundance of low hanging fruit in Canada’s geothermal sector.
With increased effort from provincial and federal governments Canada’s traditional geothermal resources are sure to play an important role in the country’s energy future. As the demand for renewable base-load energy increases so too will the push to develop Canada’s rich geothermal resources. CanGEA and its members aim to have 5,000 MW of clean geothermal power online by 2015 - that’s enough to power 3.7 million Canadian households. Add to this the overwhelming potential of Canada’s deep geothermal resources and the country may be entirely powered by this clean, renewable energy source. Though, as Canada joins other world leaders in developing its geothermal resources it must act prudently in first embracing traditional geothermal plays before adopting EGS technology. With such an abundance of naturally occurring geothermal hot spots there is no need to embark on EGS projects without first tapping Canada’s vast traditional geothermal plays.
About CanGEA: CanGEA is a national industry association that believes we can provide competitively priced, emissions free, renewable, base-load energy to Canadians and to U.S. export markets. CanGEA works on behalf of our members to facilitate the growth of geothermal power projects and promote publicly listed companies on the Canadian Exchanges.
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Contact: David Gowland
Policy Director, Canadian Geothermal Energy Association
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