Cornwall’s Eden Project has launched a deep geothermal heating system, said to be the UK’s first operational deep geothermal project to come online in 37 years.
Described by Eden as “a landmark moment for renewable energy“, the project involved drilling deep into the granite at the Cornwall site. This process was finished in 2021.
Per a press release, Eden Geothermal Ltd (EGL) has now completed the heat main and plant, and the three-miles-deep system is ready to heat the attraction’s biomes and a new nursery.
Gus Grand, CEO of EGL, said the launch is “a big moment for Eden Geothermal and renewables in the UK, but we’ve only just begun”.
“This project is a great demonstration, heating a whole rainforest and commercial nursery, with hopefully a distillery on the way.’”
Richard Day, chairman of EGL, added: “Geothermal offers a real opportunity for the oil and gas industry to transform itself and become part of the solution.”
The new nursery, called Growing Point and built between the geothermal site and biomes, will produce all the plants for the Rainforest Biome, Mediterranean Biome Outdoor Gardens and retail, as well as food for Eden’s visitors.
New system to heat biomes and new nursery
“We are developing new ways to grow and new ways to encourage people to think differently about plants and the planet,” said Rob Chatwin, Eden‘s group CEO.
The heating system involved drilling a well three miles deep (4,871 metres). The measured depth – the actual length of the well – is nearly 3.3 miles (5,277 metres), making it the longest geothermal well in the UK.
Eden and EGL inserted a 4,000-metre vacuum insulated tube into the well to lift hot water from deep below, which is then passed through a heat exchanger.
The cooled water is re-injected into the well through the outer ring. The heat is delivered via a 3.8-kilometre heat main.
To fund the research project, EGL secured £24 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund, Cornwall Council and commercial sources.
“Geothermal is the sleeping giant of renewables: lying not under our noses, but literally under our feet,” said Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project.
“The Netherlands’ geothermal industry started with heating for greenhouses – and they are now aiming for it to contribute to a quarter of all their heating by 2050.”
