UNESCO Project IGCP636 Webinars

The UNESCO project IGCP636, of which the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), CanmetENERGY, and Université Laval are cooperating institutions, is organizing a series of webinars.

The first presentation of this series occurred September 28, 2020, and the recording can be found through this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yoONYdXhpN6VMOp0Rw1S7AOLKYA8Pxgl/view

The following presentations are planned:

- Monday October 26th: Hamza (Ecole Nationale Polytechnique de Constantine)
- Monday December 14th: Ignasi (Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia)

Geoconvention 2020 - Geothermal Session

Geoconvention 2020
Sept. 21-23, 2020
Virtual Event

Geoconvetion 2020 begins today with over 600 technical presentations. There will be a full-day geothermal session on Tuesday, titled “Latest advances in geothermal exploration and development in Canada”, chaired by Stephen Grasby and Grant Ferguson.

Schedule

Tuesday Morning (Sept. 22):

8:35-9:00 Williston Basin Geothermal Power Project Development - Kirsten Marcia

9:00-9:25 Renewing and Rethinking the University of Regina Geothermal Test Well Project of 1979 - Janis Dale

9:25-9:50 Alberta No. 1 ‐ the Province's first conventional deep geothermal power project - Catherine Hickson

9:50-10:35 COFFEE BREAK

10:35-11:00 Geothermal Resource Characterization of the Middle Devonian Carbonate Reef Reservoir at Clarke Lake Field, Fort Nelson, B.C., Canada - Matthew Minnick

11:00-11:25 Bedrock fracture study of the Mount Meager Area: implications to geothermal reservoir characterization - Stephen Grasby

11:25-11:50 Geothermal drilling and well completions in comparison to oil and gas practices in low temperature - Catherine Hickson

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Tuesday Afternoon (Sept. 22):

1:25-1:50 Coupled Thermo‐Hydro‐Mechanical (THM) model for Geothermal Energy Extraction from Fractured Rock Masses - Maurice  Dusseault

1:50-2:15 Thermo‐hydro‐mechanical (THM) modeling of borehole breakouts for in‐ situ stress determination in geothermal exploration - Shunde Yin

2:15-2:40 Subsurface Characterization Methods for Multilateral Closed Loop Geothermal Systems. Case Study of Field Scale Technology Demonstration Project in Alberta, Canada - Jeanine Vany

2:40-3:20 COFFEE BREAK

3:20-3:45 Post‐Eocene kinematics of faults that host potential geothermal systems in southeastern British Columbia - Theron Finley

3:45-4:10 Resource Estimations for Conventional Deep Geothermal Projects -Katie Huang

4:10-4:35 Alberta Precambrian Basement: Implications for EGS Development - Spencer Poulette

The Narwhal: Why Canada’s geothermal industry is finally gaining ground

About a year after a Narwhal article outlined why geothermal is not taking off in Canada, the industry in Canada is more active and gaining more traction. There are several geothermal projects across the country in various stages of development and geothermal energy is now commonly considered when politicians and the public discuss renewable energy options.

The Narwhal’s recent article, “Why Canada’s geothermal industry is finally gaining ground” provides an excellent overview of the current political and economic climate that has been favourable for the geothermal industry. Read about the DEEP project in Saskatchewan, the Alberta No. 1 project outside of Grande Prairie, the Clarke Lake project in northeast British Columbia, and the Razor project near Swan Hills, Alberta. The author also touches on the history of the industry in Canada, recent federal funding granted to several projects, the importance of geothermal heat, and synergies with the oil and gas industry

8th European Geothermal Workshop: Oct 7-8, 2020

The 8th European Geothermal Workshop will be held online on October 7-8, 2020. The workshop is organized by the University of Strasbourg / CNRS’ LabEx G-eau-thermie Profonde, in partnership with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the European Energy Research Alliance.

The workshop will also include a presentation from Geothermal Canada Vice-President Dr. Catherine Hickson on Oct. 8 @4:30pm CEST (7:30am PST/8:30am MDT).

Registration and abstract submission are now open.

The 8 sessions include:

Assessment of Geothermal Resources
Exploration of Geothermal Reservoirs
Construction of Geothermal Wells
Resource Development
Energy Conversion Systems
Operation of Geothermal Systems
Sustainability, Environment and Regulatory Framework
Computing and Data Management

Registration is free but server capacity is limited to 200 participants. Register here.

HeatBeat - The Scoop on Closed-Loop: A Chat with John Redfern, CEO of Eavor

As different types of geothermal projects continue to develop in Canada, let’s look back on Eavor’s closed-loop technology with an interview from Eavor CEO, John Redfern.

In February, 2020, Eavor developed their pilot project, Eavor-Lite™, near Rocky Mountain House, AB and now have plans to construct Eavor-Loop™ heat and power projects in Germany with Enex Power Germany GmbH.

May 19, 2020: HeatBeat interviewed John Redfern, President and CEO of Eavor. Here is a brief excerpt from the interview:

Traditional geothermal players who have reviewed our thermodynamic models and field validation eventually come around, but it often takes them time to overcome deeply held convictions and entrenched gut reactions vis-à-vis the feasibility of conduction-only systems like closed-loop. From what I can see as an outsider, there is also a significant bias against closed-loop coming from an entrenched ecosystem, which has incurred significant sunk costs in EGS over the years. I’ll note that we do not typically encounter this same disbelief when speaking to the oil and gas industry, and I don’t find that surprising. There is a large experience gap between the geothermal and oil and gas industries, and an entirely different view of risk. The oil and gas folks, by and large, agree that the concept of closed-loop is sound, achievable, and interesting. Their main concern is cost reduction for well development.