Proposed Sask. geothermal plant could have more than 1 use

A new proposed geothermal power plant near Estevan, Sask. could have other uses besides generating electricity.

Earlier this week it was announced SaskPower and DEEP Earth Energy Production Corp. had reached an agreement to look into the feasibility of a five-megawatt project by The Energy City.

The plant would tap into hot water underground, pass that through an exchanger to create steam and drive a turbine, which would create electricity. It’s estimated enough electricity would be generated to power 5,000 homes.

But what should be done with the wastewater?

“We could just pump that into the ground and forget about it or I would think that there might be a lot of uses for hot water, right, for heating,” said DEEP Earth CEO and President Kirsten Marcia.

She used greenhouses as an example of an entity that could use the heat before it’s put back in the ground. Marijuana producers might benefit too she mused.

“This could be a new provincial agriculture sector that could be built around local produce production using clean, renewable, sustainable energy,” she added.

Marcia envisions the project coming online sometime in 2019 with construction hoped to start in the next year.