Why a Sask. geothermal project may be 'globally transformative'

Breakthrough in geothermal energy WATCH: Kirsten Marcia gives us an update on DEEP Earth Energy’s geothermal power plant.

A geothermal power project in southeast Saskatchewan is set to begin construction in late 2023.

DEEP Earth Energy Production Corp. announced that the strategy for its geothermal power project in southeast Saskatchewan has been finalized.

Field construction on the 25 megawatt power plant is expected to begin in Q3 of 2023 while construction of the surface facilities and drilling are set to start in Q4, the company said in a news release.

DEEP, an energy firm based in Saskatoon, has been testing the feasibility of geothermal energy in the southeast for several years, drilling several test wells in the area from 2018 to 2021.

The company’s first facility includes a five megawatt power purchase agreement with SaskPower.

The facility is set to be built in two phases with five megawatts being available in the first phase and another 20 megawatts being added in the second.

The company has stated its long term goal is to eventually produce 200 megawatts of power using several geothermal plants in southeast Saskatchewan.

Power production is estimated to be underway by the summer of 2024, the release explained.

Twenty five megawatts has the ability to power around 25,000 households.

The project is anticipated to be the first of its kind in the province and the country.

"Geothermal power generation has the capacity to provide renewable, reliable baseload energy (24/7), and the DEEP project in Saskatchewan is anticipated to be the first Canadian, 100 per cent naturally sourced geothermal power facility," the company said in its release.

It also said its use of oil and gas drilling techniques to create a renewable energy supply "may be globally transformative."