CA-BC North America Updated 2026-08-20

Canada (British Columbia) Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 39.3% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Canada (British Columbia).

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
39.3%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
2 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
291.1 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
55.5 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area Moderate Distance
71.4%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
496.4 ZJ

Thermal volume in place (>80°C baseline)

Depth vs. Temperature Matrix (% Land Area)

Proportion of national territory exceeding target isotherm at specified depth

0.1° Inversion Grid
Isotherm 3.0 km 4.0 km 5.0 km 6.0 km 7.0 km 8.0 km
150°C 15.7% 30.9% 43.7% 66.4% 80.9% 95.4%
175°C 9.6% 25.2% 41% 51.7% 73.6% 75.7%
200°C 9.9% 21.1% 33.5% 46.2% 58.4% 63.6%
225°C 6.5% 16.9% 25.4% 40.6% 50.1% 57.7%
250°C 7.2% 15.5% 22% 26.8% 40.4% 47.8%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

Progressive screening from gross national territory down to grid-connected & populated prospective zones

1 Whole country
944 735 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
371 281 km² 39.3%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
265 095 km² 28.1%
4 ...and within 100 km town
220 778 km² 24.8%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 4.4 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 2.6 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 223.1 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 268.2 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.4 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 15.9%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 78.6%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 133 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 35.5 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 83.5 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 16.2 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±0.8 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 18 417 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 53.7%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 71.4%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 82.8%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 27 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 363
Total Urban Population 17 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 28.9%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 62.9% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 70.7% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Canada (British Columbia) across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Canada (British Columbia) Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
2 km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 86th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
291.1 °C Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 76th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
39.3% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 65th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
496.4 ZJ Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 84th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
55.5 °C/km Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 79th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
71.4% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 71th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
78.6% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 79th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
16.2 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 64th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
35.5 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 36th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±0.8 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 59th percentile
Urban demand colocation
35.7% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 87th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

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Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Canada (British Columbia)

Subsurface thermal interpretation, model uncertainty, infrastructure colocation, and resource quality analysis

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Canada (British Columbia) indicates volcanic_arc geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 39.3% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

Thermal inversion across Canada (British Columbia) shows consistent model convergence with constrained standard deviations across deep crustal layers.

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 71.4% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by volcanic arc dynamics with median sediment thickness of 0.4 km and crustal thickness of 35.5 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 496.4 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Canada (British Columbia) demonstrates competitive positioning across heat flow, infrastructure, and basement competence indicators.

Target Sensitivity Analysis

Screening at 150°C baseline at 5.5 km increases prospective territory, demonstrating substantial deep EGS resource headroom.

Screening Methodology, Parameters & Limitations

This screening assessment for Canada (British Columbia) is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 10 497 model cells (land area: 944 735 km²). Baseline prospective criterion is defined as reaching 185°C at or above 5.5 km depth with surface temperature normalized to 15°C.

  • Screening estimates represent regional-scale heat in place and do not replace localized 3D seismic or exploratory drilling.
  • Model uncertainties expand in regions with sparse deep boreholes and complex thrust fault kinematics.
  • Grid proximity indicators reflect line-of-sight distance to high-voltage transmission and do not account for local substation thermal capacity.
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