Plans are being formed to turn abandoned coal mines in the northeast of England into a renewables project that will harness geothermal energy to heat buildings. In a statement Tuesday, South Tyneside Council said its cabinet would be asked to approve the appointment of a main designer for the project, which will draw geothermal energy from flooded mines at the old Hebburn Colliery, next week. Described by the U.S. Department of Energy as a “vital, clean energy resource,” geothermal energy refers to heat from under the Earth’s surface which can be used to produce renewable energy.
As a source of power, coal’s importance — in the U.K. at least — is also fading. According to the government, Britain’s “reliance on coal for electricity” has fallen from 70% in 1990 to under 3% today. Provisional statistics released by the government at the end of March showed that electricity provided by coal-fired generators dropped by nearly 60% in 2019 compared to the previous year.
Already, 2020 has seen several coal facilities in Europe close their doors. Two coal-fired facilities in the U.K., operated by SSE and RWE, shut down on the same day at the end of March, while Austria’s last operational coal-fired power station closed last week. In February, energy firm Drax said coal-fired electricity production at the U.K.’s largest power plant was expected to end in March 2021.
Source: CNBC
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