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| Auckland Castle (Courtesy Auckland Castle Trust) |
Bishop Auckland has been identified as a prime site to deliver the renewable energy source, which would initially be used to heat medieval Auckland Castle but, if the project is especially successful, could also benefit businesses and residents in the town.
The project will be funded by the Auckland Castle Trust with the initial stage expected to cost £2.5m and a further £1m to be spent should the findings prove conclusive and the scheme get the final go-ahead from Durham County Council.
A planning application to drill two exploratory boreholes up to 1.8km (1.11 miles) deep on the northern boundary of the town is being prepared for submission to the council. If approved, and if the investigatory boreholes prove successful, further proposals will be drawn-up to create a network of pipes to take the heat to the grade I listed castle.
This means that it would be the first historic building of its kind in the UK to take advantage of this type of environmentally friendly energy. A feasibility study conducted by UK-based Cluff Geothermal has already indicated that this part of Bishop Auckland is likely to be sitting on an underground reservoir of water at 70C (158F).
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