Heat from mine water to warm 750 homes in County Durham, UK
Houses in Seaham Garden Village are being heated with water from abandoned coal mines beneath their foundations.
The energy centre at the Mining Remediation Authority's (MRA) Dawdon treatment scheme in Durham has now been commissioned.
The heat network uses mine water that is already being pumped to the surface.
It is a collaboration between the MRA, Karbon Homes, Esh Group, Vital Energi and Durham County Council.
It is estimated to save 2,600t of CO2 annually, equating to nearly 65,000t of carbon emissions avoided over 25 years.
Mine water is naturally heated by geothermal processes deep underground and maintains a stable temperature year-round.
At Seaham, the existing Dawdon Mine Water Treatment Scheme now serves a dual purpose: protecting local drinking water supplies while providing renewable heat to homes.
The energy centre uses heat exchangers and a heat pump to extract and boost the heat from the mine water and distribute it through a district network.
The 750 homes that will benefit from the scheme form part of Seaham Garden Village, a wider 1,500-home development on Durham's heritage coast. The heat network received funding through the government's Heat Networks Investment Project.
The MRA says that an estimated 25% of UK homes and businesses are located above former coal mines, creating significant potential for similar schemes across Britain's coalfield communities.
It operates more than 80 mine water treatment schemes nationwide, many of which could be adapted to provide renewable heat.
This project builds on other mine water heating schemes already operating in Gateshead and Wales.
