Geothermal power in the United Kingdom

[2] Geothermal energy is plentiful beneath the UK, although it is not readily accessible currently except in specific locations.

However, challenges such as lack of government support, financial incentives, and a clear regulatory framework hinder broader adoption.

The project, which was never intended to produce electricity, was a rock mechanics experiment to research the hydraulic stimulation of fracture networks at temperatures below 100 °C (212 °F).

[10] Groundwater in Permo-Triassic sandstones in the UK has the potential to provide an exploitable geothermal resource at depths of between 1 and 3 km (0.62 and 1.86 miles).

In addition, some of these basins are in areas of elevated heat flow, or are overlain by less thermally conductive strata, providing in effect an insulating layer.

Construction started in 1987 on a well to draw water from the Wessex Basin aquifer at a depth of 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and a temperature of 76 °C (169 °F).

[14] Brine from the geothermal well provided 18% of the total district heating mix, with fuel oil (10%) and natural gas (70%) making up the rest.

[12][failed verification] In 2014, Stoke-on-Trent City Council announced plans for a £52 million project to create a district heating network powered by geothermal energy.

[16][17] Another area with great potential for geothermal energy is in the North Sea, on the continental shelf where the Earth's crust is thin (less than 10 km [6.2 miles]).

The granite regions of South West England, the Lake District and Weardale and the Eastern Highlands of Scotland are considered most likely to have the best prospects for power generation.

This includes the hot aquifers (i.e. subterranean bodies of water) in the North East, Wessex, Cheshire, and Northern Ireland.

[19] In 2008, a planning application was submitted for a hot rocks project on the site of a former cement works at Eastgate, near Stanhope in County Durham.

[28][29] Newcastle University Science Central Borehole Project, at 1,800 m (5,900 ft) is the deepest geothermal well drilled for nearly 30 years.

[32] The project failed as flow rates of hot water from the borehole were not great enough to be exploitable, leaving the development to be heated by conventional sources.

[6] The report set out the following conclusions: In summary, while the potential for geothermal energy in the UK is considerable, especially for heating, it remains underdeveloped due to policy and regulatory challenges.