| Title | Technical, regulatory, and pore space challenges for geothermal in an urban setting: Examples from the City of Regina Deep Geothermal Project |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marziyeh Kamali, Erik Nickel, Neil Struthers, Norm Sacuta, Brian Brunskill, Zeinab Movahedzadeh |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | |
| Abstract | The City of Regina is taking the lead among Canadian jurisdictions to become a sustainable municipality by becoming 100% renewable by 2050. The city has adopted an Energy and Sustainability Framework that furthers the commitment to building a sustainable community. The city is developing a new indoor aquatic facility heated by deep geothermal energy to utilize the energy extracted from an open-loop geothermal well pair. The targets for this system are the Cambro-Ordovician Winnipeg and Deadwood Formations at a depth of approximately 2,000m. The geothermal system provides a clean source of energy reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the aquatic facility. Deep geothermal projects are common in Australia and parts of Europe, however this will be one of the first in a large Canadian urban setting. From a regulatory standpoint, the geothermal project is regulated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources (MER) and legislation that has been largely developed for rural oil and gas disposal wells. The project team has worked collaboratively with MER to understand concerns and develop project-specific considerations to deliver a safe project. As the geothermal project advances into the operational stage, ongoing reporting and requirements will be provided to MER to ensure safe and transparent operations. This work will expand on regulatory/technical challenges for monitoring microseismicity, managing of H2S in the aquifer brine, well setbacks, and rig spacing. Further considerations include pore space ownership and addressing ownership density in an urban setting, and how the regulator and City are planning to approach these issues. |