Geoscience BC Awards Geothermal Contract to Kerr Wood Leidal

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb. 10, 2015) - Geoscience BC is pleased to announce that Kerr Wood Leidal (KWL), with their sub-consultant GeothermEx, has been awarded the contract to carry out an assessment of the economic viability of geothermal energy for electrical power generation in British Columbia. This study will give insights as to whether or not geothermal electricity generation might be economic at known locations across B.C.

Kerr Wood Leidal is a B.C.-based water and energy engineering firm. KWL has been involved in energy planning in the Province for many years. Their work includes the use of their Rapid Hydro Assessment Model for hydro resource inventory for BC Hydro and assisting with Resource Option Mapping as input to BC Hydro's Integrated Resource Planning.

KWL's sub-consultant, GeothermEx, has been in business for more than 40 years. Specializing in providing consulting, operational and training services in the exploration, development, assessment and valuation of geothermal energy, GeothermEx is the largest and longest established such organization in the Western Hemisphere. The company has previously conducted evaluations on various prospects in B.C. and was the overall resource consultant to the developer of one of Canada's most well-known electrical-grade geothermal prospects at Meager Creek in the Squamish-Lillooet Region.

This new study will first involve data compilation and re-evaluation of previous geothermal studies in B.C., including 18 known geothermal sites throughout the province. The second step will comprise the technical and economic assessment of areas deemed favourable through the initial compilation exercise and further evaluate the estimated resource at these sites for their economic potential. "KWL and Geothermex will provide a fact-based and objective assessment of geothermal opportunities in British Columbia," said Ron Monk, M.Eng., P.Eng., KWL's Energy Sector Leader.

"We'd love to have a good, base load geothermal resource that provides capacity and is there when you need it" says Randy Reimann, director of resource planning with BC Hydro. "We hope this study will provide better grading of where the potential may be in the province and at what cost."

"While there is great interest in British Columbia's geothermal resource potential," said Robin Archdekin, Geoscience BC's President and CEO, "it is important to gather all of the facts to better determine the true financial viability of this opportunity."