May 17, 2017 – Saskatchewan’s first geothermal power project may be that much closer to a reality, thanks to as recent power purchase agreement signed by SaskPower and Deep Earth Energy Production Corp.

“We’re proud to continue our work with Deep to evaluate geothermal’s potential role in our power supply,” said SaskPower president and CEO Mike Marsh. “Cleaner electricity options are vital to Saskatchewan’s future, and geothermal power is another option to explore as we work to reach our goal of having 50% of our capacity come from renewable power by 2030.”

Geothermal power generation passes hot water through an exchanger, creates steam and drives a turbine to produce electricity, SaskPower explains. The signed agreement allows Deep to continue a proof of concept study to determine the feasibility of a 5MW project near Estevan, which would generate “renewable, zero emission, baseload power from a hot aquifer 3 km under the Earth’s surface”.

“We’re pleased to complete this agreement with SaskPower as another step towards the commencement of Canada’s first geothermal power facility in southeast Saskatchewan,” said Kirsten Marcia, president and CEO of Deep. “Deep’s Saskatchewan power facility will launch a brand new clean energy sector for the country, and we anticipate significant job creation during the construction and operation of the facility.”

The electricity provided by the proposed plant would generate roughly the power required by 5000 homes and offset about 40,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year – equal to taking over 8,000 cars off the roads annually, according to SaskPower.