The Kootenay Lake Geothermal project is a grass roots initiative that is volunteer driven and currently operates through a local Non-Profit entity – South Kootenay Lake Community Services Society (SKLCSS).
The East shore of Kootenay Lake, between Gray Creek and Riondel, has been the primary focus the project which commenced in 2021. Investigations have focused on the confirmatory aspects of a Geothermal resource through geological, geochemical, geophysical, and geospatial research and exploration.
That work has progressively narrowed the exploration focus from a broad regional assessment to several prospective geothermal targets, with current exploration concentrated between Crawford Bay and Riondel on the east shore of Kootenay Lake.
Why Kootenay Lake?
Several independent lines of evidence point toward an elevated geothermal system.
- naturally occurring hot and warm springs throughout the region;
- historic underground mine temperatures approaching 40°C at Riondel;
- exceptionally large historic groundwater inflows within the Bluebell Mine;
- elevated regional heat flow and geothermal gradients;
- geochemical evidence suggesting significantly higher temperatures at depth; and
- favourable fault and fracture systems capable of providing pathways for geothermal fluids.
Most recently, advanced airborne electromagnetic surveying has provided new information about the subsurface and identified features being evaluated as potential indicators of geothermal fluid circulation.
Together, these observations provide a compelling scientific basis for continued exploration.
WHERE WE ARE TODAY
From exploration to resource testing.
Six years of investigation have progressively reduced the geological search area and improved our understanding of the subsurface.
The next stage of exploration is intended to answer three fundamental questions:
Is sufficient heat present?
Can naturally fractured rock provide the required permeability?
Can the resource ultimately support responsible commercial development?
Each stage of exploration is designed to answer these questions before substantially greater amounts of capital are committed.
FROM COMMUNITY INITIATIVE TO GEOTHERMAL ENTERPRISE
The Kootenay Lake Geothermal Project began with a simple question:
Could the heat beneath Kootenay Lake create lasting economic and energy opportunities for the region?
Local volunteers, technical specialists, educational institutions and government funding programs helped move the project from an idea to a credible geothermal exploration opportunity.
As the project approached the stage requiring geothermal tenure, drilling, investment and increasingly sophisticated technical management, a dedicated corporate structure became necessary.
Threshold Energy Ltd. was established to provide that structure and to take responsibility for professional exploration, regulatory compliance, financing, partnerships and—if a viable resource is ultimately demonstrated—potential development.
