Cluff Geothermal helping to bring deep geothermal energy to Bishop Auckland

19th September 2014

Cluff Geothermal are working with Auckland Castle Trust on a flagship deep geothermal project in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. This will potentially give the town the greenest, most low carbon heating system in the UK.

Cluff Geothermal have been advising the Trust as they move towards breaking ground on the first borehole – expected to be around a mile deep – and are currently assisting with preparation of the planning application.

Deep geothermal heat systems are common in many countries e.g. France, Germany and Iceland but there are none in the UK (a system in Southampton ran successfully for several years but is currently being refurbished).

Bishop Auckland offers an ideal location for a deep geothermal system, sitting atop the Butterknowle fault – likely to be associated with high permeability – and in an area with a high ‘temperature gradient’. The system will ultimately use two deep boreholes to bring hot water from depth to the surface where it will be used to heat buildings including Auckland Castle itself.

George Percy, Cluff Geothermal’s Managing Director, said: ‘This is an enormously exciting project for Bishop Auckland and for our company. We are delighted to be working with the Auckland Castle Trust to deliver their vision of a sustainable and low carbon geothermal energy system that will heat their properties and also create a superb low carbon energy asset for the town more widely’.

Dr Michael Feliks, Cluff Geothermal’s UK Operations Manager, said ’we have been working closely with Auckland Castle Trust for some time, and we are very pleased that our expertise is helping the project become a reality. Bishop Auckland is an ideal location for deep geothermal energy and we are confident that this project will be a big part of the story as the technology begins to roll out in the UK’.