February 24, 2005

Super-heated water holds key to $341M facility

VANCOUVER

Western GeoPower Corp. reports it has completed a second production-size well showing super-heated water at its proposed electricity generating site 170 kilometres north of Vancouver.

The company also said contractor Precision Drilling has started work on a third well, with a target depth of 2,000 metres.

Western GeoPower, which envisages a $341-million, 100-megawatt power plant at its South Meager geothermal project, said its MC-7 well was drilled to 3,291 metres and found temperatures similar to MC-6 — about 216 degrees C.

At MC-6, after recovery from initial cooling caused by the drilling process, temperatures at 2,600 metres have heated up to 255 degrees.

Flow testing of those two wells is planned for April after their temperatures have stabilized.

Western GeoPower hopes to confirm commercial viability of the project and be generating 100 megawatts by 2007, with later development up to 200 megawatts.

The Canadian Press

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