Bridgend county is leading the way with renewable energy projects as one of just three places, alongside Manchester and Newcastle, in the UK to test pioneering schemes which could then potentially be rolled out across the country.
One of those is the first ever large-scale mine-water energy scheme to be created in the UK with another being an underground heat network in Bridgend town for homes, schools, hospitals and businesses.
The Caerau mine-water project
Could coal miners ever have imagined the black pits they spent their days in would one day contain the hope of cheap, clean energy?
Construction work on the Caerau mine-water project near Maesteg is due to begin in 2020 with the first homes being connected to the system in winter 2021.
It comes after test drilling into the mine workings under the Old Brewers site in Caerau found that the mining void was full of water to a depth of 230m – and had a temperature of 20 degrees celsius.
The project is based on technology being used in Heerlen, a city in the Netherlands, and is made possible due to the naturally-heated water from the old coal mine.
Using heat pump technology and a network of pipes, the project will begin by heating around 150 nearby homes, the local school and church.
