Achi news desk-
The Alberta government is helping fund what it says is Canada’s first test site for geothermal energy drilling techniques.
Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz says the province will spend $750,000 to help fund a feasibility study on the project.
The study, led by Calgary-based Eavour Technologies, is intended to help identify a site and lay the groundwork for the initial planning stages.
Eavour CEO John Redfern says the facility would give Canadian geothermal developers a place to test their technology at home rather than having to work in the US or elsewhere.
He says the rapid growth of wind and solar power in Alberta is fueling interest in geothermal as a reliable source of baseload power for the electric grid.
Schulz says the Alberta Drilling Accelerator could be putting its first holes in the ground as early as next year.
Evor previously received $2 million in funding from the province and $90 million from the federal government to ramp up and build a commercial geothermal facility in Germany.
