Science Central Borehole Project
NIReS has obtained major funding from the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the British Geological Survey and Northumbrian Water to drill deep under the heart of Newcastle in search of geothermal energy.
The borehole is designed to explore strata associated with one of the UK’s largest geological fault zones – the so-called Ninety Fathom-Stublick Fault Zone – which shows signs of hosting hot groundwater.
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If successful, this exploration borehole will take the risk out of detailed design to incorporate deep geothermal energy into the overall energy plan for Science Central and adjoining districts, including Eldon Square, the UK’s largest city centre indoor shopping mall.
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As the Ninety Fathom-Stublick Fault Zone extends laterally over distances in excess of 100km, quantification of the resource on this site would also provide a model for further such developments elsewhere in the North of England.
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For the latest updates on the borehole, click here.
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Professor Paul Younger, Director of NIReS, is keeping a blog of developments on the borehole with updates on progress: to view the blog, click on the link below.