Geothermal energy: Stormont borehole to tap into underground heat

A project to test if Northern Ireland can plug into the planet to reduce emissions has been launched.

Geothermal energy is the heat stored in the ground far beneath us.

GeoEnergy NI will use two boreholes at separate sites to test if that heat could help us move away from using fossil fuels.

Stormont’s Department for the Economy (DfE) is leading the project and said surveys show the geology in Northern Ireland has potential.

Two test boreholes will be drilled – a shallow one of a few metres on the Stormont estate – and another 2.5km deep at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (Cafre) Greenmount campus in County Antrim.

It is hoped information available from the sites next year will be used to design policy.

DfE permanent secretary Mike Brennan said the project was part of the Energy Strategy Action Plan, which focussed on reducing carbon emissions and moving towards zero-carbon affordable energy by 2050.

“As a reliable, low carbon, renewable energy resource that occurs naturally within the earth, geothermal also brings with it a host of environmental, economic, and social benefits,” he said.

“It will play a vital role in helping the sector to develop, increase Northern Ireland’s future security of energy supply and ensure we can maximise this valuable renewable energy source for generations to come.”

DfE said it was delivering the £3m project with “scientific support from the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) and a specialist contractor team led by Tetra Tech Europe”.

“Geothermal is regarded as one of the most environmentally-friendly ways of producing local, sustainable, and low-carbon energy and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whatever the weather,” said GSNI’s director Marie Cowan.

“Northern Ireland is very fortunate to have favourable geology with significant untapped potential for geothermal energy right beneath our feet.

“Building on our extensive data, research, and mapping to date, GeoEnergy NI will provide us with invaluable data to help us realise this potential and deepen our understanding of the subsurface even further.”

There are plans to open a mobile visitor centre later this year “to further enhance the public’s awareness and understanding” of the geothermal energy sector.