| Title | Alberta #1: the Province’s First Electrical Geothermal Project |
|---|---|
| Authors | C.J. HICKSON, M. KUMATAKA, P. AKTO, D. COTTERILL, D. BENOIT, R. ECCLES, K. HUANG, M. COLOMBINA, and S. COLLINS |
| Year | 2020 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Alberta, Devonian Strata, Power Generation, Hot Sedimentary Basin, BHT, Temperature Gradients, Precambrian basement |
| Abstract | In Canada’s western provinces, the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) is known to have warm to hot brines in large extractable volumes from permeable, hydrocarbon-bearing units. In Alberta’s northwestern region, the Municipal District of Greenview (MDGV) was actively supporting preliminary resource investigations within its lands. These investigations led to the determination that there was an economically viable resource under the MDGV and, in particular, near a new Heavy Industrial District (HID) development planned for a large tract of land south of the city of Grande Prairie. Alberta #1 (as the project has been named) will provide the industrial park, referred to as the Tri-Municipal Industrial Park (TMIP), with both electrical and thermal energy produced by the project. The research suggests that temperatures above 120°C are attainable at depths of 3,500 m and below. The target formations at these depths are under the Beaverhill Lake Group and are comprised of the Swan Hills, Granite Wash, Gilwood, the basement unconformity and the basement itself. Importantly, the targets are below the hydrocarbon and shale-rich Duvernay Formation. Only two wells within the TMIP have been drilled to basement, and only a handful of wells are drilled below the Duvernay Formation. There is limited flow rate test data on the target formations but extrapolating from similar target formations elsewhere, it is anticipated that flow rates in 7-inch pipe will exceed 30 l/s and the total flow rate required for 8MWe (gross) generation is 300 l/s. Fluid chemistry modelling of existing analytical data suggests that there will be no major issues with mixing of formation waters and proposed injection into the producing aquifer or the Leduc Formation. |