Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal project passes critical milestone

Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal project is pleased to announce that the critical milestone of a 30-day pump test has recently been completed.

Canadian Indigenous Geothermal Energy Project Achieves Critical Milestone

Fort Nelson, British Columbia – Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal project is pleased to announce that the critical milestone of a 30-day pump test has recently been completed. The 30-day pump test confirmed that the geothermal resource in the Clark Lake Field will sustain temperatures of near 120oC and that the porosity of the flooded reservoir will sustain the extraction and reinjection of commercially viable volumes of geothermal brine. The water chemistry of the brine was also thoroughly sampled and confirmed to be appropriate for development.

The Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal project is fully owned and led by Fort Nelson First Nation through their economic development corporation Deh Tai Corporation. The word Tu Deh-Kah means “water in the form of steam” in the Dene Language.
“We are all incredibly excited for what the future holds. I am happy to see our people leading this energy transition in the Treaty 8 Territory located in Northeast BC. This revolutionary project will create major opportunity for our members, treaty partners and our neighboring communities in the North.” – Chief Sharleen Gale, Fort Nelson First Nation

“The Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal project team, along with supporting contractors successfully completed a 30-day pump test. In the geothermal industry, this test is the recognised requirement to provide significant proof of the resource quantity and its characteristics”.  -John Ebell, Geothermal Programs Manager, Barkley Project Group

Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal is now confirmed and characterized, and the project team can proceed with final project design and permitting for an electrical generation facility. The project remains on track for the start of construction in the spring of 2024 with a commercial operation date in early 2026.

The provincial electric utility BC Hydro currently services this northern region as a stand-alone regional grid using gas-fired electrical generation. By developing this sustainable, base-load clean energy project, Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal will displace fossil fuel electricity. Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal and its supporting consultants are focused on developing a geothermal project where the cost of energy is competitive with other clean energy resources in British Columbia.

Fort Nelson First Nation and their Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal project has gratefully received project grant support from both the federal and provincial governments. The most notable contribution was a $38.2 million investment from Natural Resources Canada’s, Emerging Renewable Power Program. These grants have specifically assisted the early resource testing and characterization phases of the geothermal project. Achieving the project pump testing is a critical step to securing the financing needed to construct the project well field and the geothermal generation facility.

Media Release
Provided by Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal Inquiries: info@tudehkah.com
October 31, 2022 for immediate release