Work starts on Hebburn minewater geothermal project
An abandoned coalmine is being repurposed as a source of geothermal energy that will heat council-owned buildings in South Tyneside.
Planning permission has been granted for initial testing to take place on the Hebburn minewater scheme, which will draw geothermal energy from abandoned flooded mines in the former Hebburn Colliery to heat buildings that include a residential tower block.
Generating clean energy from the coal mines
Two wells will now be drilled by Dunelm Geotechnical and Environmental Ltd to extract water from the mines, and tests will validate whether the scheme remains fully viable. Drilling works and construction of the wells are likely to take until the autumn to complete.
In a statement, Cllr Tracey Dixon, leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “The Minewater scheme is expected to deliver a reduction of 319 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, which will make a significant contribution to our ambition for carbon neutrality by 2030.
“It will also help us upgrade the energy performance of fuel-poor homes as it will be used to heat one of the town’s residential tower blocks.
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