Latest on Fort Nelson geothermal project revealed at Fort St. John energy conference

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Indigenous communities having a seat “at the table” for future industrial energy projects was at the forefront of a presentation at an annual Fort St. John energy conference.

The Creating Energy Northern Resource Conference was organized by the Fort St. John Chamber of Commerce as a networking event about the present and future of energy within the region.

The event featured an update on the Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal project, owned by Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN) and run by its economic arm, Deh Tai LP.

Presenting about the project was Andrea Warren, the communications specialist and project coordinator. 

She was accompanied by community liaison Taylor Behn-Tsakoza and training and employment coordinator Cyndi Bonn.

Warren told Energeticcity.ca the project is awaiting an electronic purchasing agreement from BC Hydro before drilling can begin.

“That’s our next step. We need to move on to drilling,” said Warren. “[Organizers] invited us to come to share on our project.

“[The conference was] for innovation, and Fort Nelson is so close to Fort St. John. We’re taking a step into renewable energy. I think it was important to come and be there.”

Tu Deh-Kah is set to become British Columbia’s first geothermal electricity site and one of the first in Canada.

Using the old Clarke Lake Gas Field southwest of Fort Nelson, drills are to be put into the ground, harvesting heat from highly porous Devonian carbonate.

Five to six producing wells will be in the ground in order to bring geothermal brine up to the foundation.

According to Tu Deh-Kah’s website, the project has a goal of providing energy for up to 10,000 homes via a binary system using an ‘organic Rankine cycle’ power plant given the low-grade geothermal resource. 

“We’ll have jobs. We’ll have continuous power,” said Warren.” We won’t have to worry about being off for days at a time.”

The project is slated to be ready by early 2027.