White paper calls for acceleration of geothermal energy projects in the UK
A new white paper of national importance has been published today (Monday 17 July) providing evidence for the acceleration, development and deployment of deep geothermal energy projects in the UK.
The case for deep geothermal energy – unlocking investment at scale in the UK was commissioned by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub, and led by the British Geological Survey and Arup.
Gathering evidence from the geothermal industry, regulation, finance, and academia, the white paper outlines how deep geothermal energy – energy generated and stored in the form of heat in rocks, groundwater and soils – can provide a low-carbon source for heating, cooling and power generation; supporting the UK’s net zero targets and providing a domestic form of decentralised energy. It also highlights how investment in geothermal energy could deliver an economic boost to areas across the UK via job creation and tackling fuel poverty.
The white paper looks at the potential opportunities and benefits that geothermal energy could deliver for the UK economy, local communities, and government’s Net Zero commitments and energy security ambitions.
The deep geothermal energy white paper goes on to explore some of the potential challenges around the deployment of deep geothermal energy in the UK, before putting forward a set of recommendations to build, scaleup and support the long term growth of the sector.
New maps made available in the paper by the British Geological Survey, who has been leading the UK’s geothermal research since the 1980s, show that deep geothermal energy offers decarbonisation opportunities across the UK.
Lucy Winskell, Chair, North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Geothermal energy has one of the lowest carbon footprints compared to other technologies and its availability across the UK means that by connecting it to district heating networks we can deliver a secure, local and flexible baseload technology which can provide for our domestic, commercial and public sector requirements for heat.
“Like Mine Energy, its exploitation has the potential to deliver new jobs and investment into regions of the UK which are central to Government’s Levelling Up agenda.
“As well as helping the UK meet its net zero targets, adopting geothermal energy would bring a host of economic and societal benefits too. Growing the sector will not only lead to job creation, but it provides a unique opportunity to transition roles within the oil and gas sector to grow skills, knowledge and economic activity in domestic low carbon technologies.
“With many of the UK’s potential deep geothermal projects located in areas identified by the UK Community Renewal Fund as in need of economic stimulus, we also have the opportunity to support the levelling up agenda by creating green jobs and addressing fuel poverty.”
Most of the UK’s onshore deep geothermal energy resources can be found in deep sedimentary basins in large parts of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where water circulates through deep rocks (>500 m) to form hot sedimentary aquifers (HSA) or fractured sedimentary aquifers (a sub-type of HSA). Temperatures range from 40–60°C, but can reach up to 100°C in some deeper parts.
Radiogenic granites form another source of deep geothermal energy in the UK. Heat accumulates within the rock to form ‘Hot Dry Rock’ (HDR). Granites found in Cornwall, North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been already been identified as proved and potential geothermal targets for power and/or heat production.
The white paper uses stakeholder views, collected as part of a recent inquiry by the Environmental Audit Committee, to demonstrate there is widespread, collective agreement on the potential for developing deep geothermal in the UK, especially for space heating, industrial heating, and agriculture/horticulture heat use.
Research from published literature estimates that individual deep geothermal projects in the UK could achieve total savings of 72,000 tonnes (geothermal heating project) and 700,000 tonnes (geothermal power project) of CO2 equivalent over their estimated thirty-year and fifty-year operational lifetime, respectively.
Because geothermal energy has one of the lowest carbon footprints compared with other space and water heating technologies, it could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the UK.
Colin Bell, Business and Sector Growth Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The North East has undertaken geothermal research at the regional level for more than 20 years. We have made significant contributions to the UK’s geothermal knowledge, which is why we were asked to oversee this important piece of work. We commissioned the British Geological Survey and Arup to lead the development of the white paper.
“The North East is poised to become the UK’s first low carbon heat cluster, and the geothermal potential means we’re well positioned to demonstrate the commercial viability of deep geothermal heat deployment. As a region we have the expertise, infrastructure and collective ambition to take forward the recommendations in the white paper and lead the proposed demonstrator projects; paving the way for the scalability of deep geothermal across the UK.”
In addition to exploring the opportunities and benefits of deep geothermal energy, the white paper also outlines some of the potential challenges to its deployment, including high upfront costs, public awareness and support, and government investment.
Jason Boddy, Associate Director at Arup said: “If we really want to accelerate the use of deep geothermal energy in the UK, we need to address current regulation and drive forward innovation in the sector so we can bring costs down and build confidence amongst investors and the supply chain.
“Improving the availability of data will reduce some of the risks associated with geothermal projects and allows us to identify more opportunities and areas for future developments.”
The paper concludes with a set of recommendations to build the sector over the short, medium, and long term. They include reviewing financial support for geothermal energy projects; signposting the role of geothermal in UK Net Zero efforts; reviewing the legal status, regulation and licencing of geothermal energy; improving data availability and accessibility; understanding public perception of geothermal energy; and facilitating communication between stakeholder groups.
Dr Corinna Abesser, Policy Director at the British Geological Society, said: “Geothermal energy provides a unique opportunity to deliver a wide geographical area of the UK with a decentralised, low-carbon energy source via district heating networks.
“This white paper sets out how we can utilise deep geothermal energy to meet our net zero objectives, deliver economic growth across the country, increase our energy security, and improve our communities by creating the green jobs of the future.”
This white paper follows and is intended to complement the mine energy white paper, led and procured by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership during 2020/21 on behalf of the UK Mine Energy Taskforce.