24.04.20
£7m renewable energy scheme to go ahead in South Tyneside
A ground-breaking renewable energy scheme is set to emerge from abandoned coal mines in South Tyneside, cutting annual carbon dioxide emissions by hundreds of tonnes.
This £7m system will take geothermal energy from flooded mines in the former Hebburn Colliery and use it to heat council-owned buildings in the area, including a residential tower block.
Preliminary approval for £3.5m in funding from the European Regional Development Fund has given this innovative project a major boost and has meant that an appointment for a main scheme designer is set to be approved by the South Tyneside Council’s Cabinet as early as next week.
Cllr Joan Atkinson, Lead Member for Area Management and Community Safety, said:
"This is a highly innovative scheme, which will be one of the first council minewater district heating systems in the UK.
"It is expected to deliver a reduction of 319 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, which will make it a key component in our drive to make the council carbon neutral by 2030.
"Cooled water will be returned to the mine workings and locally-generated electricity using solar panels and a Combined Heat and Power Unit will be used to help power it.
"It will also help us meet our obligations to upgrade the energy performance of fuel-poor homes as it will be used to heat one of the town's residential high-rise blocks."
The pioneering project, being developed in collaboration with the Coal Authority and Durham University, will lead the way for potential future development and expansion of the network, pushing the council closer to carbon neutrality ambitions.
Vertical boreholes of 300-400m will be drilled into the flooded coal mines underground to extract the water needed, but not before pilot boreholes have been drilled to establish feasibility and key information needed for the main design.