After a popular geothermal workshop in Valemount last month, a number of Valemount residents are looking seriously into what can be done to develop geothermal opportunities.
Two residents, both mothers of young families and business owners, made a delegation to Valemount Council on Feb. 23rd, to try to keep the momentum going. Rundi Anderson and Christine Pelletier say they see potential at Valemount Community Forest’s new industrial park in Cedarside to build a geothermal plant and attract businesses that can make use of inexpensive heat, but also feed off the waste of the other businesses in the park.
As an example, Anderson says her brewery’s expansion could keep down costs of heating water and lower their carbon footprint. Their waste heat, carbon dioxide and compost grain could be used by greenhouses. Pelletier, whose family currently runs two small greenhouses, could use geothermal heat to grow food year-round, expanding their crops to fruits and vegetables that normally have to be imported to the Robson Valley.
