Work Continues on $12-Million GeoThermal System at St. Cloud VA

ST. CLOUD -- Workers are busy laying approximately 90 miles of pipe beneath the St. Cloud VA Health System grounds. It's part of the $12-million GeoThermal Heating and Cooling System that's being installed.

There are 1,540 160-foot wells drilled across the campus. The design also creates a "looped system" which allows the buildings to draw upon each other's heating and cooling when needed.

The project is considered the largest of its kind.

Brent Wavra is the consulting engineer on the project. He says when completed next summer, it will make the three buildings using the system 300% more efficient during the heating season and 42% more efficient overall than their current boiler system.

Two new buildings will be built and will tie-in to the GeoThermal System, totaling five buildings on the system.

VA General Engineer Jon Copeland says they are building the underground infrastructure to add other buildings as they require upgrades.