Did you know that Mauser Packaging Solution’s Springhill facility in Canada uses geothermal energy; a form of energy obtained from circulating ground water? Did you also know that the Springhill facility was the first industrial site in Canada to demonstrate this economic and technical energy source?
The Springhill geothermal project started in 1989 as a collaborative project between the town of Springhill and Ropak (now Mauser Packaging Solutions Springhill). Springhill was interested in attracting industry with the incentive of low-cost heat while Ropak was interested in reducing plant energy costs. To achieve these goals, a technical system was devised and tested to bring mine water at a temperature of 18°C at a rate of 4 l/s from a flooded mine to the Ropak facility’s heat pump system prior to being reinjected to another mine.
Since implementation, the geothermal system has been a technical and economic success allowing the facility to retrofit its entire original building with a geothermal mine water heat pump system. Following the continued success of the Springhill/Ropak geothermal energy project, the town has installed several additional mine water systems serving restaurants, metal fabricating facilities and a variety of other local business.
The BBC recently published an article about the potential of using geothermal mine water as a zero-carbon heating and cooling method and spoke with the Springhill plant manager. Check out the full article here.