Seaham coal mine heat network goes live

A mine water heating system which will eventually supply hundreds of homes has gone live.

The ultra-low carbon district heat network now supplies heat to about 50 properties in the Seaham Garden Village development.

The scheme will eventually supply 750 homes in the 1,500-home complex that is due to be built over the next 10 years.

Durham County Council said it was exploring whether similar schemes could be set up elsewhere. Other networks are already running in places such as Gateshead .

The project is a collaboration between Durham County Council, the Mining Remediation Authority, Karbon Homes and Vital Energi.

Minewater temperatures naturally range from 10 to 20C all year round due to deep underground geothermal processes, according to the Mining Remediation Authority.

The Seaham network takes advantage of this heat using the Dawdon minewater treatment works which was originally set up to treat local minewater and prevent the contamination of about 30,000 people's drinking water.

Now the heat that dissipated into the atmosphere as part of this process will instead be used to heat properties in the complex.

Reform UK councillor Kyle Genner said the authority hoped to set up similar schemes around Durham as long as they were "financially viable".

"As they become more viable, as the technology evolves then we should find more [sites] in the future," he said.

Vital Energi official Kieran Walsh said there were several benefits to the heat network.

"It's protecting our planet," he said. "You are obtaining heat from a waste heat source."

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