About Us

"Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal is a state of the art project that will revolutionize the North by creating opportunities for generations to come."

– Chief Sharleen Gale of Fort Nelson First Nations

Fort Nelson First Nation is located in the Northeastern corner of British Columbia. We are one of eight nations that belong to BC Treaty 8, coming from strong Cree and Dene Peoples. Fort Nelson First Nation is taking an active role in defining the industrial activities in our traditional territories. After many years of strategizing and planning, Fort Nelson First Nation is pursuing the development of this innovative renewable energy project that is well suited for a Northern climate. Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal aligns with our vision of building a sustainable future for generations to come.

Project Update

Our Company

The Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal project is fully owned and led by Fort Nelson First Nation through their economic development corporation Deh Tai Corporation. The word Tu Deh-Kah means “water in the form of steam” in the Dene Language. 

Our many stakeholders at the Blessing Ceremony August 2022

Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal is in the early stages of development with the goal of providing up to 7-15MW of clean, geothermal electricity in Northeastern BC.  Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal is poised to be British Columbia’s first geothermal electricity facility and amongst the first in Canada. The site will host a binary system using an Organic Rankine Cycle power plant given the low-grade geothermal resource. 

Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal is 100% Fort Nelson First Nation community-owned through our economic development corporation, Deh Tai LP. This project aligns with the Province of BC’s and Government of Canada’s climate targets to achieve net-zero. Fort Nelson’s electricity grid is currently 100% reliant on fossil fuels – this geothermal project is an essential keystone in Northeastern BC’s energy transition.

 

There has been a significant economic downturn in the region due to a dwindling gas and forestry industry. There is a cascading system of opportunities in utilizing the excess heat from the system. This emerging renewable energy industry in Canada brings stable long-term jobs to the Northern Rockies by establishing the region as a geothermal hub.

Our Team

Chief Sharleen Gale

Chair of Deh Tai LP

Jim Hodgson

CEO Deh Tai LP

Jamie Capot-Blanc

Project Coordinator

Taylor Behn-Tsakoza

Community Liaison & Research Coordinator

Andrea Warren

Media & Communications Specialist

Kass Harbottle

Project Manager - Barkley

Cyndi Bonn

Training & Employment Coordinator

John Ebell

Geothermal Programs Manager - Barkley

Angela Boston

Regulatory Specialist - Barkley

Raj Khugsal

Financial Analysist - Barkley

Ben Boudreau

Project Coordinator - Barkley

Tim Matthews

Geospatial Analyst - Barkley

Chelsey Hay

Geothermal Project Coordinator - Barkley

Our Amazing Funders

This project is made possible through the culmination of many years of community leadership, planning and funding. 
Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal graciously acknowledges all funders for making this project possible to date.

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Chief Sharleen Gale

Chair of Deh Tai LP

Chief Sharleen Gale has been an elected Councillor of the Fort Nelson First Nation since 2009. She is an active member of the Fort Nelson First Nation and envisions a future where all members are working together to become a strong, proud, healthy, and self-reliant Nation.

As a leader and Chief of the Nation, she understands the importance of upholding the spirit and intent of the treaty by asserting her peoples’ rights to their land and taking responsibility for ensuring that our future generations are able to live their lives in their territory in a way that honours their ancestors.

Chief Sharleen Gale started her career at Westcoast Energy Inc. in 2000. Her various roles working in administration, finance, maintenance, planning and in leadership have given her extensive experience in the oil and gas sector and the corporate world. She is also Chair of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition.

Chief Gale is the Chair of Deh Tai LP, Fort Nelson First Nation’s economic development arm. Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deh Tai LP.

Linkedin-in

Jim Hodgson

Chief Executive Officer

Jim has 35+ years of International and North American experience across a variety of financial and management functions including strategic planning, mergers & acquisitions, risk management and corporate governance, as well as improving cash performance, financial controls and profitability.  He has served as CFO and a director of publicly traded companies and CEO of a privately held company with full P/L responsibility for the past 12+ years.

His career started with Esso in Canada where he worked in chemicals, downstream and upstream companies in a variety of positions with increasing responsibility. He has worked and resided internationally for a total of 15 years in Qatar, Kuwait, and China.

In Qatar with Qatar Petroleum Jim worked developing and training national employees before moving to the Finance Directorate.  He returned to Canada to join PanCanadian Petroleum in international finance and then the supply management group.  Moving abroad to Kuwait he spent five years as commercial manager at Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company then led United Oil Projects as their CEO. 

Thereafter he worked as a director and CFO of Stream Oil & Gas Ltd (TSX:SKO) based in Calgary followed by 3 years in Beijing, China as the CFO and Chief Representative of an Australian public company, Sino Gas & Energy Holdings.  Most recently he was CFO, director and audit committee chairman for High Arctic Energy Services (TSX:HWO).

Jim has a B.Sc. (Chemistry) and MBA from the University of Toronto and a M.Sc. (Finance) from Leicester University, UK. Jim is employed by Deh Tai LP, Fort Nelson First Nation’s economic development arm. Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deh Tai LP.

Jamie Capot-Blanc

Project Coordinator

Jamie is a Fort Nelson First Nation member and has acquired over ten years of experience in the energy sector. Jamie brings his technical skills, project management and community knowledge to this role at Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal.

These skills were gained through field experience and education at Grande Prairie Regional College and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Jamie will represent Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal on the Clarke Lake site and assist with coordinating contractors.

He looks forward to giving back to his community through this renewable energy project and acting as a role model for Fort Nelson First Nation youth.

jamie.capot-blanc@tudehkah.com

Taylor Behn-Tsakoza

Community Liaison & Research Coordinator

Taylor is a Fort Nelson First Nation member, she currently holds the roles of Research Coordinator & Community Liaison with Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal. Taylor is passionate about the well-being of her community. She presents at community meetings and events to help share information and create engagement with the Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal project.

Her education includes a Bachelor of Health & Physical Education from Mount Royal University, a certificate in Land and Community Based Research from Dechinta and a graduate certificate in Indigenous Sports and Recreation Management from the University of Alberta.

In these roles, Taylor will also be liaising with the University of Alberta and other research institutes as they study a broad array of geothermal-related subjects within the Clarke Lake field and surrounding communities.

taylor.behn-tsakoza@tudehkah.com

Andrea Warren

Media & Communications Specialist

andrea.warren@tudehkah.com

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Kass Harbottle

Project Manager - Barkley

Kass Harbottle, M.Sc., P. Eng. is a Project Manager responsible for the management of energy projects during planning, development, and construction. Kass is a Professional Engineer with a Master of Science in Sustainable Development and a Bachelor of Science in Geological Engineering. She has over a decade of energy industry experience ranging from a background in petroleum engineering to her current role managing major capital projects in the renewable energy sector. She has worked alongside many Indigenous communities to develop community-owned clean energy projects. She has a wide range of project experience, including community consultation, construction management, procurement, contract administration, technical analysis, design coordination, and community energy planning. Her role as Project Manager involves leading teams of engineers, consultants, other professionals, and contractors to bring complex clean energy projects from conception to operation on time and on budget.

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Cyndi Bonn

Training & Employment Coordinator

cyndi.bonn@tudehkah.com

John Ebell

Geothermal Programs Manager - Barkley

John Ebell is the co-founder of Barkley Project Group. He is a Senior Project Manager at Barkley Project Group and the Geothermal Team Lead with more than 40 years’ experience in the natural resources sector. His broad background includes work in fisheries, environmental assessment and regulatory permitting, as well as more than 20 years’ direct experience in the clean energy sector where he has brought hydropower developments from concept to operation. John is currently igniting some of the premier geothermal project in Canada.  John’s project management experience spans all stages of development, including renewable energy resource inventory, conceptual development, feasibility assessment, strategic planning, design coordination, permitting, and operations management.

John is a Geothermal Program Manager for Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal. He has also served on the board of directors for Geothermal Canada.  Barkley Project Group is hired by Deh Tai LP to provide technical and administrative capacity to the project. 

Angela Boston

Regulatory Specialist - Barkley
 

Raj Khugsal

Financial Analysist - Barkley

Raj is accounting graduate and trained and tested lean six sigma professional. Raj has over 18 years of experience in finance and accounting roles in Canada and overseas (US, UK and India), where he has helped businesses on reporting, cost savings and revenue sharing efficiencies. Raj moved to Canada in 2014 and been working for Biomass and Oil & Gas divisions. Raj is certified PMP and a board member at Canadian West Coast PMI.

 

Raj is a Financial Analyst for Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal. Barkley Project Group is hired by Deh Tai LP to provide technical and administrative capacity to project.

Ben Boudreau

Project Coordinator - Barkley

Ben Boudreau, EIT, is a Project Coordinator responsible for providing high-quality, professional services to support community initiatives in clean energy development. Ben is a registered Engineer in Training with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has over 4 years of experience working as a Design Engineer and Project Coordinator on aerospace and construction projects. In his previous role, Ben supported the design and maintenance efforts of internationally deployed wildfire-fighting aircraft.

Ben is a Project Coordinator for Tu Deh-Kah Geothermal. Barkley Project Group is hired by Deh Tai LP to provide technical and administrative capacity to the project.

Tim Matthews

Geospatial Analyst - Barkley