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UK Geoenergy Observatory Cheshire to change site

As part of the UK Geoenergy Observatories, the project at Cheshire, England is asking now for a change of sites as early tests identified challenges to the site looked at.

The UK Geoenergy Observatory project team is preparing a planning application to relocate the Cheshire Observatory to Thornton Science Park in Cheshire a county in northwest England.

The team will submit the planning application in October. If approved, the GBP31 million UK Geoenergy Observatories will be delivered in full by 2023, so a release this week.

Original planning permission was granted for the Cheshire Observatory to be sited at Ince Marshes in August 2019, and the facility design was updated in late 2020.

Ground investigation work revealed a complex subsurface, therefore the Cheshire Observatory plans to move to Thornton Science Park because of the outcome of ground investigations at Ince Marshes.

These identified difficult subsurface conditions, including:

Thornton Science Park: A potential new location

Subject to new planning permission being granted by Cheshire West and Chester Council, the Cheshire Geoenergy Observatory will move to Thornton Science Park.

Dr Mike Spence, science director at the British Geological Survey for the UK Geoenergy Observatories said: “Relocating the Observatory to Thornton Science Park will deliver a world-class science and research facility for scientists and innovators working in subsurface energy storage, to meet the challenges associated with decarbonising our society.”

“Thornton Science Park is located in an area of large sustainable energy projects and the Observatory will be an ideal focal point for collaboration between university researchers and industry, including local companies that could directly benefit from storing heat underground.”

The new site will be ideal for the Cheshire Observatory. Being on higher ground than Ince Marshes, it is not impacted by artesian groundwater and has shallow bedrock, evidenced by previous work in the area.

Dr Spence continued: “The Cheshire Observatory will provide unique insight into the response of the subsurface to energy transfer and storage with real-time, 3D-imaging of subsurface processes.”

“The Cheshire Observatory infrastructure will support control of groundwater flow, heating and cooling of the subsurface and high resolution monitoring using advanced sensors and multilevel sampling installations. The Glasgow Observatory, which is equipped to investigate thermal storage in former mine workings, is already delivering these benefits for researchers and partners across the UK.

The Cheshire Observatory will provide researchers with the at-scale test facilities that can be used to optimise the design and operation of subsurface energy storage systems. These systems are an important and growing component of the UK’s heating and cooling demand.

Professor Eunice Simmons, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chester, said: “Thornton Science Park provides an excellent location for the Cheshire Observatory, not just in terms of the site’s physical features, but also in terms of the university’s regional and national networks.

“We are a national hub for clean growth expertise and innovation and home to multinationals and SMEs which complement the research that will take place at the Observatory.”

The proposed site at Thornton Science Park

A planning application will be submitted in October 2021 to Chester West and Cheshire Council.

Key features

Next steps

Source: UK Geoenergy Observatories

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