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Mine water heat
Research and Development
Working alongside researchers and academics across Great Britain, we are committed to driving innovation. Our dedicated mine water heat team, comprised of leading geologists, hydrogeologists, and other specialists, is advancing mine water heat as a key contributor to low-carbon, sustainable heat.
With unique knowledge, assets, and data, we support innovative research and development, ensuring that our projects are informed by advanced science and robust evidence. This expertise gives our public and private partner’s confidence in the opportunity that mine water heat represents.
The Gateshead Mine Water Heat Living Laboratory
The Gateshead Living Lab is a pioneering research initiative that generates critical evidence to support future licensing, management, and broader adoption of mine water heat schemes.
Located in the North East of England, the Living Laboratory is situated in the vicinity of three mine water heat schemes. This includes Gateshead Energy Company’s Mine Water Heat Network – the largest of its kind in Great Britain and one of the largest in Europe – and the nearby privately-funded pioneering schemes at Lanchester Wines warehouses.
This setup provides a unique research environment, enabling in-depth study of thermal and hydrogeological interactions between multiple mine water heat schemes within the Walker mining block in Tyne and Wear. The data generated will complement the research work underway at the mine water energy observatory developed in Glasgow by the British Geological Survey (BGS). This is part of the UK Geoenergy Observatories project comprising, two at-scale facilities for research and innovation into shallow geothermal and underground thermal energy storage.
With support from Gateshead Council, the project involved drilling four boreholes and installing advanced monitoring equipment to collect valuable data.
This open-access data, available to view here online, offers valuable insights for researchers, regulators, stakeholders, and academic institutions.