Geothermal energy research given the go-ahead in Cheshire, UK, BBC News reports
Published by Naomi Holliman,
Digital Editorial Assistant
Energy Global,
Cheshire West and Chester Council have approved a British Geological Survey (BGS) application for a geoenergy observatory at Ince Marshes, according to BBC News.
Approval has been given to sink 50 boreholes as part of research into harnessing underground heat and steam power.
The boreholes will be drilled down to 1200m on marshes south of the Mersey estuary, enabling scientists to gain a clear picture of the underground environment.
The carbon-friendly power research was commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council, with two further geoenergy observatories to be sited in Wales and Scotland.
About £2.5 million worth of scientific sensors will collect data on the chemical, physical and biological properties of the rocks over a 15-year period.
Professor Mike Stephenson, Chief Scientist at BGS, commented, "Second by second, minute by minute, day by day, we'll be measuring the pulse of the Earth in a way that the scientific community simply hasn't been able to do until now.
"What we learn in Cheshire should provide a breakthrough in our understanding of how the whole underground system works."
As part of the same project, 61 boreholes will test the temperatures of the water in water-bearing rock under Cardiff. Meanwhile in Glasgow, 12 boreholes will measure how warm water moves around abandoned mine workings.
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