The UK has launched the world's first living laboratory research trial into optimising the use of mine water as a low-carbon heat source.
The project will involve scientists tapping into the potential of mine water heat technology to help advance the UK’s journey towards net zero and combat climate change. The Gateshead mine water heat Living Laboratory will be the only location in the world where thermal and hydrogeological behaviour can be studied between operational mine water heat schemes.
It follows the area's successful use of water from disused coal workings to heat hundreds of homes. The Mining Remediation Authority says the laboratory, in Gateshead in the north of England, marks a "significant milestone" in sustainable heat research and will provide open-access data to help support future decisions on permitting mine heat access agreements.
Dr Fiona Todd, a geoscientist at the Mining Remediation Authority who is leading the project, said the research is "crucial" to tapping new sources of energy to tackle climate change. "Our Living Laboratory will provide invaluable insights into the behaviour of mine water heat systems," she said.
It is situated in the vicinity of three mine water heat schemes, including Gateshead Energy Company's Mine Water Heat Network – one of the largest in Europe – and serves as a unique research environment to allow the study of thermal and hydrogeological behaviour. The project has involved drilling four boreholes and installing monitoring equipment.
The data generated will complement the research work under way at the mine water energy observatory developed in Glasgow by the British Geological Survey. Dr Todd said the project positions the UK as a leader in repurposing mining legacies into low-carbon energy solutions.
“This research project represents a strategic step in transforming Great Britain’s mining legacy into a powerful driver for sustainable growth.” she said. “Repurposing disused mines as sources of low-carbon heat will deliver both environmental and economic benefits to local communities.”
The UK presently has a network of 23,000 abandoned deep coal mines and it is estimated a quarter of the population lives above former coal mines that contain 2.2m GWh of heated water.
The Coal Authority, which oversees the former pits on behalf of the government, estimates there could be enough energy in the flooded, abandoned mines to heat all of the homes on the coalfields. It believes mine water energy could be crucial in solving Britain’s energy crisis. There are about 40 areas across the UK using government funding to conduct feasibility studies to see if the project could be introduced in their regions.
