Heat energy from the coal mine: “Gateshead Mine Water Scheme” is currently the largest project in the UK for heat recovery from mine water. GEA as project partner supplied 2 x 3 MW high performance heat pumps.
These heat pumps use the energy from naturally heated mine water to meet the heat demand of the buildings connected to the district heating network. The existing municipal heating network, which already supplies 18 public and private buildings and 350 households, will thus be expanded by an additional heat capacity of twelve GWh per year.
Commenting on the development, Richard Bond, Director of Innovation and Engagement at the Coal Authority, said, “It’s fantastic to see forward thinking local authorities like Gateshead Council using warm mine water to provide low carbon heating for buildings. We have a low-carbon, secure, UK-owned heat source in the form of mine water in Gateshead, which is also an excellent option for many other coalfield communities. We are delighted that our support has helped make this project a reality.”
The water is pumped from a depth of 150 meters from the old mine to the ground level plantroom where the 2 x 3 MW ammonia heat pumps from GEA, extract the energy from the mine water (15 degrees Celsius). The heat pumps boost the temperature of the extracted energy and hot water (80 degrees Celsius) is then provided to homes and buildings in Gateshead.
