Canadian gov’t invests $40m in Clarke Lake geothermal project

Announced this week, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., announced nearly C$40.5 million (around USD 32.3m) in federal investments for the Clarke Lake Geothermal Development Project, a wholly owned and Indigenous-led project that will develop one of the first commercially viable geothermal electricity production facilities in Canada. We reported last month that after a long uncertainty that the project is going ahead and it is clear that the federal funding announced now is a fantastic commitment  to the project by the  Canadian government.

Being developed in the existing Clarke Lake gas field in British Columbia, the Clarke Lake Geothermal Development Project will use the mid-grade geothermal heat resources in its reservoir to reduce emissions by displacing fossil fuels, while also demonstrating the value of geothermal energy as a viable clean energy technology for rural, Indigenous and northern communities.

Along with creating jobs and other economic opportunities for local community members, this project will provide capacity building and training to workers from other industries to help them transition into the renewable energy sector.

Although electricity generation will be the primary source of revenue, additional revenue opportunities could include the sale of waste heat generated by the plant. Excess heat from the facility could also power other activities in the local industries such as timber drying in the forestry sector and greenhouse food production in the agriculture sector.

Statements by stakeholders