The Energy Geosciences group at the Northwest Territories Geological Survey (NTGS) conducts and disseminates energy geoscience studies and data for the Northwest Territories (NWT). Since fall 2020, the group advanced work on the following four projects: (1) Shale Basin Evolution in Central NWT, (2) Yellowknife Con Mine Geothermal Potential, (3) Phanerozoic Thermal Evolution of the Southern NWT, and (4) Liard Geothermal Reservoir Characterization. The first three projects support collaboration agreements with academic researchers and their students, and the Liard Geothermal Reservoir Characterization project is supported by the Department of Infrastructure (INF), Government of Northwest Territories.
The objective of the Shale Basin Evolution Project is to characterize the unconventional oil and gas resource in the central NWT. This project is a collaboration with researchers at the University of Alberta, and is nearing completion with one Ph.D. student in their final year of studies. Jonathan Rocheleau, Energy Geoscientist at NTGS, is developing a 3D basin model as part of this project and preliminary results are highlighted in his presentation at this conference titled Modelling the Devonian Horn River Group of central NWT.
The Yellowknife Con Mine Geothermal project is a collaboration with researchers at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique with the objective to re-evaluate the potential of the Con Mine as a geothermal energy source for district heating in the city of Yellowknife. Promising interim results are described at this conference by M.Sc. student Dan Ngoyo in his presentation titled Geothermal Potential of Closed Underground Mines: Numerical study of the Con Mine (Northwest Territories, Canada).
The Liard Geothermal and Phanerozoic Thermal Evolution projects work in synergy to characterize the geothermal energy potential of the Southwestern Northwest Territories with a focus on the Fort Liard area. The Phanerozoic Thermal Evolution project is a collaboration with researchers at the University of Calgary, and is aimed to assess the thermal history and exhumation of the sedimentary basin in the southern NWT. Details of this project are discussed by Taís Fontes Pinto in her presentation at this conference titled Thermal histories of Cambrian strata and basement rocks from the Great Slave Lake region, Northwest Territories). The Liard Geothermal project examines the geothermal potential of the reservoir formation; the analysis and characterization work are discussed in the presentation at this conference titled Liard Geothermal Reservoir Project Update.
Last, but not least, the Energy Geosciences group welcomes a new member to the team; we wish to extend a warm welcome to Yaqub Adepoju. Yaqub has an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Geophysics, and an M.Sc. in Sustainable Energy Development. Yaqub’s expertise is in the areas of oil and gas related geophysical research as well as geothermal energy research., and he brings valuable industry sector experience to the team.