Southeast Campus Geothermal Plant

Construction of a new geothermal plant on the north side of the Joyce Center started  this winter. Beginning the first week of January, a portion of Moose Krause Circle was  closed. Access to facilities west of the Joyce Center on Moose Krause Circle will be via St. Joseph Drive from the north. The geothermal plant, when completed, will distribute heating to buildings in the southeast region of campus and cooling throughout all of campus.

Geothermal systems support sustainable energy usage for heating and cooling buildings on campus. By utilizing a network of water-filled pipes buried underground, they take advantage of the year-round 50°F average temperatures below the Earth's surface, circulating water in a closed-loop piping system to a depth of roughly 300 feet before returning it to the surface and distributing it through an energy center. By starting the heating and cooling process at the 50°F baseline, significantly less energy is used to create comfortable building temperatures.