Eden project geothermal plant receives go-ahead
A plan to develop a geothermal power plant on a site at the Eden Project, near St Austell in Cornwall, has been given the go-ahead by Cornwall Council.
Planning permission for EGS Energy’s plant followed a period of consultation with the community.
Geothermal energy involves pumping water underground where it is heated by hot rocks before being pumped back up to the surface for the resulting steam to generate electricity. In Cornwall, the technology is easier to implement than elsewhere in the UK because there is no need to drill down as deep.
Work on drilling is expected to start in the second half of next year, with electricity to be produced in the second half of 2013. The plant will be situated on the north side of the Eden Project site at Bodelva.
The plant – which could be the first of its kind in the UK - is due to produce up to 4 megawatts of electrical capacity for use by Eden, with the significant surplus (enough for approximately 5,000 houses) going in to the national electricity grid. In addition, heat produced by the plant will be used to provide warmth for the Eden Project biomes.
Guy Macpherson-Grant, managing director of EGS Energy, said: “Here in Cornwall there is a great opportunity for EGS Energy to deploy the experience and skills of its team of experts.”
Matt Hastings, Eden’s energy manager, said: “It’s great that EGS Energy has permission to proceed with the plant and now the real work begins. We are in the early stages of a massive project which we hope will be the catalyst for a series of geothermal power plants throughout Cornwall.”
Julian German, wno is cabinet member for climate change at Cornwall Council, said the authority was “extremely positive” about the opportunities that geothermal energy will bring to Cornwall and its communities.
“It is essential that we use our vast array of renewable energy potential and electricity. Heat produced from deep under our land is one of the key resources that can provide Cornwall with national and international leadership.”
The EGS plant at Eden will consist of a two-borehole system – one injection well and one production well, both around four and a half kilometres deep.
Water will circulate between the bottoms of the two wells, where it will be heated by the hot rocks and returned to the surface at approximately 180 degrees celsius.
