Con Mine geothermal plan receives funding

YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES - Yellowknife's proposal to harness geothermal heat from a defunct gold mine is slated to get at least $10 million from the federal government.

The Con Mine geothermal project is one of 19 developments across Canada to be promised money from the government's $1-billion Clean Energy Fund.

The Yellowknife plan is expected to receive between $10 million and $20 million, according to a government release.

The city is in advanced engineering stages of work to determine if a district geothermal heating system can be set up from the former underground mine, which produced five million ounces of gold from 1938 to 2003.

A preliminary report found that the Con Mine's high temperatures — upward of 34 C — and its location directly below the city could make it a prime source of geothermal energy.

City officials told CBC News that they had asked Ottawa to cover half the project's estimated cost of $32 million.

The city, along with the other funding recipients, will now have to negotiate formal contribution agreements with federal officials before any of the money starts flowing.

Some of the other funding recipients include:

• A project based in Ontario and Manitoba to store electricity with new and repurposed lithium ion automotive batteries.

• A plan for waste-heat recovery systems at compressor stations across Alberta and B.C.

• Installation of an "interactive smart zone" in Boucherville, Que., with infrastructure for people to charge electric and hybrid vehicles.

• A tidal energy project in the Bay of Fundy, to determine how tidal current turbines would perform in the Minas Passage.

• A wind-power research park proposed on Prince Edward Island.

The government will invest up to $146 million from the Clean Energy Fund toward all 19 projects, according to the release.