News

Another project in Cornwall, England aiming for drilling by 2010

Alexander Richter 12 Oct 2009

Geothermal Engineering Ltd, a geothermal developing company, has outlined plans to develop hot rock energy in Cornwall and thereby represents the second project in this part of the UK planning to develop an EGS project.

Reported in the UK, Geothermal Engineering Ltd, a geothermal developing company, has outlined plans to develop hot rock energy in Cornwall.

This is the second project in this part of the UK, which hopes to tap into  naturally hot layer of granite at 175C to 200C, data based on a geological research, according to which this region is a prime area for geothermal plants. The other company is EGS, which is planning a geothermal plant for the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Geothermal Engineering Ltd. “plans to establish the UK’s first commercial scale geothermal power plant near Redruth. The plant will supply 10 MW of base load electricity to the National Grid and up to 55 MW of renewable heat for local use.

The planned start date for drilling is 2010, subject to planning approval, with the plant operational by 2013. Over the next 20 years, Geothermal Engineering plans to deliver up to 300 MW of clean, sustainable electricity and up to 1 GW of renewable heat for communities across the south west.

Internationally, geothermal power is increasingly being used as an alternative to fossil fuels and to provide low cost heating to homes and businesses. Geothermal will work with Cornwall Council, local universities and residents in the area to plan how the renewable heat from the plant can be used to best serve the community.

Ryan Law, MD of Geothermal Engineering Ltd, said: “Geothermal energy has been in use for millennia, even in the UK where the Romans used it for bathing. Modern technology allows us to target deeper, hotter geothermal resources to provide a sustainable source of electricity and heat. Our vision is to provide renewable heat and power at minimal environmental cost.”

The company will be holding a public exhibition on October 27 (3pm–8pm) and 28 (9am-1pm) at Carharrack Mills Hall, giving further details about how the plant will work.”

In another article the company’s managing director Ryan Law “says the engineering company Arup is interested in power from the plant for its UK offices. Geothermal would feed the grid through commercial deals with one of the UK’s distributors, who would allocate it to Arup as green energy.

The plant will cost GBP40m to build. Law is raising funds through private equity with investment bank Nomura Code. He’s also applying for a grant from the Government, which is making GBP6m available to deep-earth geothermal projects. Law will also apply for funds from the EU, which has a programme to back geothermal projects that produce between five and 10MW.”

Sources: Business Cornwall, The Independent UK