Titles Division Information Letter

Titles-09-01

Subject:  Geothermal Update

The Geothermal Task Force (Task Force) was established by the Ministry of Energy, Mines & Petroleum Resources (the Ministry) to review all areas of existing geothermal policy, legislation and regulations.  For more information refer to Information Letter Titles 08-09 on the Ministry website.

As part of the review, the Ministry hosted two fact-finding, information sharing workshops.  On August 11 and 12, 2008, the Task Force hosted a geothermal development workshop that was well attended by provincial agencies and the geothermal industry and included discussions on tenuring, consultation and engagement, electricity markets, sustainability, and public outreach.  On October 16 and 17, 2008, the Ministry and Natural Resources Canada co-hosted a workshop to review current geoscience knowledge of geothermal resources in western Canada to identify and prioritize gaps to be addressed by Government geological survey organizations. 

A common concern voiced during the workshops was the inability to access Crown land for exploration purposes, with the ultimate intent to develop the resource.  To help address this concern, the Task Force recommended that the Ministry proceed with the disposition of four areas that have previously been of interest but currently have no existing geothermal tenure.  These are Mount Cayley, Knight Inlet, Sloquet Creek and Lakelse Lake. 

The referral process is a review of land use issues associated with parcels submitted for the sale of subsurface rights.  As part of the referral process, the Ministry will be distributing information packages to First Nations, local governments and provincial agencies for review and comment.  The comments gathered from the information packages will be used to gain an understanding of the interests within each area.

Once the referral process is complete, the parcels will be posted using the same process as is currently used for oil and gas tenure posting.  Bids will be due to the Oil and Gas Titles Branch a minimum of six weeks following the official posting.  Bids will be based on either the value of work or cash value. 

The Ministry will be posting more detailed guidelines on how to acquire geothermal tenure shortly.

Lisa Nye

Executive Lead

Titles Division