[EN] Canada Is Building the World’s Largest Geothermal Lagoon—and It Will Be Heated Year-Round

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The man-made body of water and the village that surrounds it will be entirely energy self-sufficient.

Iceland may not be the only country that comes to mind when people think of geothermal lagoons for much longer.

That’s because developers want to build the world’s largest geothermal lagoon in Canada, according to New Atlas. If everything goes to plan, the man-made body of water will be the centerpiece of a spa village made up of hundreds of chalets.

The development, which will be called geoLagon, will be located in the Charlevoix region of Quebec. It will reportedly span some 130,000 square feet, which is 37,000 square feet bigger than Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon. The water will be kept at 102 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, which should be especially nice during the winter, when temperatures are regularly below freezing at night.

The geoLagoon will be heated by a “huge Thermos” heating system. The setup makes use of geothermal, biomass, photovoltaic and solar systems to create heat, which is then stored in a thermal reservoir beneath the lagoon. The system may even be able to provide energy to surrounding areas, but at the very least it will make the project, including the lagoon and surrounding village, entirely energy self-sufficient.

“This is one of the keys to our recipe,” geoLagon CEO Louis Massicotte told the website. “I have a patent pending on this huge Thermos under our pool.”

The lagoon will be surrounded by clusters of solar-powered cottages. The project’s developers envision geoLagon becoming tourist destination, so the chalets will be available for short-term rentals. About 80 percent of them have already been spoken for by investors. While the man-made lagoon should be enough of a draw for most people, the village is located less than an hour north of Quebec City. The province’s capital has a vibrant cultural scene, fine-dining and easy access to a number of outdoor activities, like golfing, skiing and whale watching.

Construction of geoLagon will consist of three stages, the first of which will begin in March of next year. Initially, half the cottages will be built, then the lagoon will be constructed and then the rest of the cottages will be completed. The entire project should take about 18 months to complete.

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