Key facts
- Lanchester Wines uses heat from a disused coalmine to maintain wine storage temperatures.
- The mine water is approximately 19C year-round.
- The system involves pumping mine water, extracting heat, boosting it with a heat pump, and distributing it.
- The company estimates a 35% reduction in heating bills.
- A new agreement with the Mining Remediation Authority simplifies access to mine water heat.
Lanchester Wines, a wine seller in northeast England, has been utilizing heat from a disused, flooded coalmine to regulate temperatures in its warehouses for the past eight winters. This innovative approach helps maintain ideal storage conditions for thousands of wine vintages, preventing freezing or spoilage.
The company's system pumps out mine water, which sits at a consistent 19C year-round, extracts its heat, boosts it using a heat pump, and then distributes it through pipes to its facilities in Gateshead. This method has reportedly cut Lanchester Wines' heating bills by approximately 35%.
While few companies utilize geothermal heat from flooded mines, Lanchester Wines hopes its experience can guide others. The company faced challenges, including poorly located boreholes and complex previous agreements with the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA). However, a newly renegotiated, streamlined deal with the MRA, valid until 2044, has eased access and serves as a template for similar projects across the UK.
Technical hurdles such as potential toxic gas release and mineral-induced corrosion in mine water systems exist. Nevertheless, the relatively high temperatures of mine water make it an attractive geothermal option. With an estimated 23,000 flooded coalmines in the UK, a significant portion of homes and businesses are situated above or near these potential heat sources.
Similar mine water heating networks are operational in Europe, including a large one in northeast England supplying various institutions and homes, and schemes in Heerlen, Netherlands, and Bad Ems, Germany. Experts note that Lanchester Wines' system demonstrates the viability of mine water heating under UK conditions.