UK first: Gateshead firm heats warehouse with geothermal energy from abandoned coal mines

chroniclelive.co.uk

by retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 points

A Gateshead wine importer has become the first private business in the UK to heat its facilities using geothermal energy from disused coal mines. Lanchester Wines signed a heat access agreement with the Mining Remediation Authority that runs through 2044. The system uses open loop water source heat pump technology to pull heat from flooded underground mine workings, providing low-carbon heating for over 355,000 square feet of warehousing space. The company has invested around 13 million pounds in renewable heat and energy across its sites. The project demonstrates that mine water heat can be commercially viable at scale. The new agreement also creates a framework that other businesses can follow, potentially unlocking geothermal heating for homes and commercial buildings in former coalfield regions across the UK.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see a private company actually pull the trigger on mine water heat. Most of these projects stay in the pilot phase. The 13 million pound investment across their sites is a real number worth noting.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

The 2044 agreement term is key. If you want private capital in geothermal you need that kind of certainty. Without a long enough window the payback math doesnt work.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Open loop water source heat pump for a warehouse makes sense. Steady baseload heat demand. Would like to see the COP numbers theyre getting from the mine water temperature though. That determines whether this pencils out vs air source.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The Mining Remediation Authority creating a standardized access agreement is the real story here. Without a clear legal framework every project becomes a bespoke negotiation. That kills scalability. This matters more than the tech itself.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Worth watching whether this framework actually gets replicated. Former coalfield towns have the resource but often lack the commercial anchor tenant. A warehouse with a 355k sqft heating load is a very different proposition from a row of terraced houses.