Geothermal power plant
Geothermal Engineering has outlined plans to establish the UK’s first commercial-scale geothermal power plant near Redruth in Cornwall.
Geothermal systems use the Earth’s natural heat as a sustainable power source. Wells will be drilled to approximately 5km where temperatures are expected to exceed 170C.
Water will be pumped down into the rock where it is naturally heated, before being pumped back to the surface as hot water or steam. The heated water will be used to power turbines to generate electricity and as a source of renewable heat.
The plant will supply 10MW of base-load electricity to the National Grid and up to 55MW of renewable heat for local use. The planned start date for drilling is 2010, subject to planning approval, with the plant operational by 2013.
Over the next 20 years, Geothermal Engineering plans to deliver up to 300MW of clean, sustainable electricity and up to 1GW of renewable heat for communities across the South West of England.
Register now to continue reading
Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.
Benefits of registering
-
In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends
-
Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year
-
Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox
Experts speculate over cause of Iberian power outages
I´m sure politicians will be thumping tables and demanding answers - while Professor Bell, as reported above, says ´wait for detailed professional...