A holistic approach towards the integration of geothermal energy in remote northern communities

Geothermal energy is increasingly considered as an energy alternative across off-grid indigenous communities in northern Canada. These communities primarily rely on diesel for electricity and a combination of oil, propane, wood, and diesel for heating. Burwash Landing, the seat of the Kluane First Nation government in Yukon Territory, Canada, is located on the shore of Łù'àn Män (Kluane Lake) at the base of the St. Elias Mountains and near a step-over in the Denali fault. A Play fairway analysis of southwestern Yukon highlights the geothermal favourability around Burwash Landing.

Over the past 15 years, Kluane First Nation has taken significant steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and drilled a community-led geothermal exploration borehole in 2012 (KFN‑L; 387 m). KFN‑L was drilled northeast of the Denali fault in Quaternary sediments. In 2021, the Yukon Geological Survey drilled a second exploration borehole (DRGW; 220 m) in bedrock to the southwest. This provided a unique opportunity to contrast geothermal context on either side of the Denali fault. The temperature gradients in KFN-L and DRGW are 45 and 35 ⁰C km^-1, respectively. Fibre-optic digital temperature sensing was used to produce high-resolution thermal conductivity profiles for each borehole. These results led to a heat flux estimation of ⁓ 90 mW m^-2 at both sites. The field results were then combined into a coupled groundwater flow and heat transfer model to evaluate temperature at depth. 

This poster presents the evaluation of the geothermal potential around Burwash Landing, considering the influence of the Denali fault on local geothermal resources alongside socio-economic factors. Both the local geology and socio-economic factors are combined to offer Kluane First Nation context-informed recommendations for the integration of geothermal energy into their energy budget.