Wednesday, November 20, 2013

United Kingdom:

Eden Project Seeks to Re-Start Geothermal Energy Plan (Cornish Guardian)

A stalled scheme at the Eden Project to set up the first geothermal plant in the UK producing heat and electricity is seeking a kick-start through public and private funding.

Plans for a multimillion-pound plant – a collaboration between the tourist attraction and geothermal experts EGS Energy – were approved by Cornwall Council in 2010.

The design envisaged boring holes three miles into the underlying granite through which water would be pumped. The earth's heat would raise its temperature to 240C, producing steam which would power a turbine generating all the Eden Project's electricity needs.

However, without funding it has not been possible to complete drilling the wells, and the scheme has stalled. As a result EGS Energy is now asking Cornwall Council to give it more time and revise the timescale which was imposed by the previous conditional approval.

Read More.....