Alberta to partially fund facility to test geothermal drilling techniques

A drill rig for a geothermal heat pump sits outside a home in White Plains, N.Y., Monday, May 8, 2023. Industry experts see the technology becoming increasingly popular in the coming years. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

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 Eavor Technlogies, is to help identify a site and lay the groundwork for initial planning stages.

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Eavor CEO John Redfern says the facility would give Canadian geothermal developers a place to test their technology at home rather than have to work in the United States or elsewhere.

He says rapid growth of wind and solar power in Alberta is fuelling interest in geothermal as a source of reliable baseload power to the electricity grid.

Schulz says the Alberta Drilling Accelerator could be putting its first holes in the ground as early as next year.

Eavor previously received $2 million in funding from the province and $90 million from the federal government to scale up and build a commercial geothermal facility in Germany.