CeraPhi Energy acquires former shale gas company Third Energy

The KM8 site in Yorkshire, UK (source: CeraPhi Energy)

UK-based geothermal development company CeraPhi Energy has acquired the business of Third Energy Limited, a former shale gas development company with plans to repurpose the existing wells into clean geothermal energy centres.

The acquisition includes the subsidiaries, namely Third Energy Trading Limited, Wolfland Renewables Limited, Wolfland Utilities Limited, Third Energy UK Gas Limited, and the 50% holding in West Heslerton Renewables Limited. The assets located in North Yorkshire UK, include 8 well sites consisting of 12 former gas wells in a suspended state, 22.4 km of 6-inch and 16.6 km of 3-inch subterranean pipelines and a further 22.4 km of buried fibre optic comms lines.

CeraPhi completed a commercial demonstration of its CeraPhiWell™ system earlier in the summer using the Third Energy KMA site. CeraPhi’s strategy is to de-risk the scaling and commercialisation of large-scale heat networks using boreholes down to a depth of 2km, reducing the space required for deployment of large-scale systems and increasing the extraction of thermal energy available for network connections.

By both drilling new wells and repurposing end-of-life and non-producing oil and gas wells, the CeraPhi solution aims to provide “huge commercial potential” for the scaling of geothermal heat networks in the UK and globally.

“The decarbonisation of heat represents a huge UK and global challenge in meeting our net zero targets. Combined with the continued insecurity customers face with volatility and seasonal cost of fossil fuels, we have to move geothermal energy to scale to reduce the cost of deploying direct use heat, which is an endless resource not subject to price fluctuation, enabling a move away from our dependency on fossil fuels within our day-to-day energy mix,” said Karl Farrow, CEO of Ceraphi Energy.

“By using the inexhaustible resource beneath our feet using closed-loop technology we can access this energy anywhere with zero environmental risk, requiring no hydraulic fracturing, no use of water and providing enough energy within the next 15 years to solve our energy crisis indefinitely.”

“Third Energy have been pursuing a transition strategy for several years now with geothermal energy at the centre of that strategy and in CeraPhi we have found a capable and accomplished partner, as proven by the successful geothermal demonstrator project at our KMA site last summer. Bringing together the expertise of CeraPhi with the assets of Third Energy is a natural progression and I look forward to working with Karl and his team to continue the story,” added Russell Hoare, Managing Director of Third Energy.

CeraPhi Energy had recently formed a partnership with Climate Change Ventures to facilitate investment in CeraPhi’s portfolio of geothermal projects.

Source: Email correspondence