Cornwall, UK - The United Kingdom's first geothermal electricity plant is being built on a former fracking site in Cornwall, marking what experts say could be the start of a renewable energy revolution.
Geothermal power utilizes natural heat from deep underground rocks and fluid to generate clean and renewable electricity. While the UK has banned controversial fracking practices, geothermal energy production does not fracture shale rock and may provide a viable path forward.
The United Downs site located near Redruth previously hosted an unsuccessful fracking test project by the Eden Project. Now it is being transformed into a revolutionary £52 million geothermal pilot plant by Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL).
The UK government provided £4.5 million in funding for GEL to drill two deep wells at the site to assess the geothermal capacity. Results confirmed hot granite rocks under Cornwall could viably produce scalable geothermal energy.
GEL expects the new geothermal facility to generate enough electricity to initially power around 3,000 households once operational from 2024. Beyond the pilot, experts believe there is potential for much larger plants.
"This project aims to demonstrate geothermal can provide affordable and sustainable clean energy in the UK," said Ryan Law, GEL's managing director. "Success here could make Cornwall England's first geothermal hotspot."
Unlike intermittent renewables such as wind and solar, geothermal offers continuous baseload power. With government support, advocates hope many more sites could be developed around Cornwall and Scotland.
"Geothermal has the scale to become a major renewable energy source for a net zero UK," said Professor Jon Gluyas from Durham University. The government recently announced new funding for geothermal energy research.
