Mine water heat
Source: gov.uk (2025-05-27)

The Mining Remediation Authority works with others to unlock the heat within historical coal mine networks to transform the homes and workplaces of the future.

As part of our work to make a better future for people and the environment in mining areas, we’re exploring opportunities to use mine water to heat and cool homes and businesses.

Water within the mines is warmed by natural processes and can, if sustainably managed, provide a continuous supply of heat. Mine water temperatures are not affected by seasonal variations and, subject to the right support, mine water can provide renewable, secure, low carbon heating for buildings in coalfield areas.

With heating accounting for 40% of energy use in the UK, mine water heat could improve the sustainability of the places where we live and work. Mine water heat could also play a part in the UK’s efforts to tackle climate change and support its net zero future.

The Mining Remediation Authority is working with academics, local authorities, central government and others to help realise the potential of mine water heat. We are supporting the delivery of mine water heat projects and working with others to make them happen.

Coalfield areas in Great Britain

Extensive coalfields exist across Great Britain and it is estimated that 25% of homes and businesses in the UK are located above former coal mines.

To understand the potential for mine water heat, the Mining Remediation Authority and the British Geological Survey (BGS) released an interactive map showing estimated mine water temperatures within British Coalfields in 2020.

Learn more about the interactive map that reveals heat stored in Britain’s abandoned coal mines (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-maps-reveal-heat-stored-in-britains-abandoned-coal-mines)

Extracting geothermal energy from former coal mines

Mine water gets warmer the deeper it is, following a ‘geothermal gradient’. Temperatures range from 10 to 20°C however they can reach 40°C at depths of around 1km. Mine water can be abstracted from boreholes, shafts or adits (an entrance to an underground mine).

Heat exchangers and pumps are used to recover the heat, which is distributed via district networks to homes and buildings.

Mine water heat schemes in operation

Gateshead

The Mining Remediation Authority has supported the council-owned Gateshead Energy Company and contractors to deliver a mine water heating scheme that will feed into an existing district heating network.

Funded by the Heat Network Investment Project (HNIP) and Gateshead Council, the scheme took about 3 years to deliver and went live on the 29 March 2023.

It is the largest mine water heat network in Great Britain and one of the largest in Europe.

The heat from mine water contained in workings 150m beneath Gateshead town centre is used to supply the heat network.

A 6 megawatt (MW) water source heat pump recovers heat and distributes it via a network of heat network pipes more than 5km long.

This network supplies heat to a range of buildings, including Gateshead College, the Baltic Arts Centre, several offices and 350 council-owned homes.

In the future additions will include 270 privately-owned homes, a new conference centre and a hotel development.

This project has an estimated saving of 72,000 tonnes of CO2 over 40 years which equates to annual savings of about 1,800 tonnes CO2 per annum.

Lindsay mine water heat scheme, Wales

The Lindsay mine water heat scheme in Carmarthenshire is one of the first in Wales to harness mine water heat for a commercial facility.

Developed in partnership between the Mining Remediation Authority and Thermal Earth Ltd, it uses submerged heat exchangers in a settlement pond at our Lindsay mine water treatment scheme to recover warmth and provide secure, low-carbon heat source at a local industrial unit.

Funded through Innovate UK’s Net Zero Industry programme, the project highlights the potential of mine water heat to support Wales’ transition to renewable energy. Operational since March 2025, it is expected to significantly reduce carbon emissions and serve as a model for future schemes.

This opportunity was identified as part of our work with the Welsh Government to map priority areas for mine water heat schemes in alignment with the Heat Strategy for Wales report.

Mine water heat schemes in development

Seaham Garden Village

Working with Durham County Council, we are supporting the development of an exemplary domestic mine water heat scheme as part of the new Garden Village at Seaham, County Durham.

Mine water from an existing treatment scheme, owned and operated by the Mining Remediation Authority, will support a district heating network that could provide heat to 1,500 new homes.

Seaham Garden Village has an estimated lifetime saving, over a 25 period, of 63,989 tonnes of CO2 when the scheme is constructed. This equates to annual savings of about 2,600 tonnes CO2.

We are also working on other mine water heat schemes across Great Britain.

Research and development

Working alongside researchers and academics across Great Britain, we are committed to driving innovation. Our dedicated mine water heat team, comprising 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 partners confidence in the opportunity that mine water heat represents.

Gateshead mine water heat Living Laboratory

The Gateshead Living Laboratory 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 3 mine water heat schemes. These include 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 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 under way 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 2 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 (https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/0aab938a-07b5-4c95-9c11-1b09ac4e82da/gateshead-mine-water-heat-living-laboratory) online, offers valuable insights for researchers, regulators, stakeholders, and academic institutions.

If you would like to know more about our work please get in touch. You can also follow us on social media or look out for the discussion at #CleanEnergyFromTheCoalfields

Heat and By-Product Innovation Team

Mining Remediation Authority200 Lichfield LaneMansfieldNottinghamshireNG18 4RG

Email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

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