Pickering, North Yorkshire awarded grant for geothermal investigation

Pickering, North Yorkshire, UK (source: CeraPhi Energy)

The Pickering Town Community Interest Company (PTCIC), a community-led social enterprise of Pickering, North Yorkshire in the UK, has been awarded a £36,000 grant from the Shared Prosperity Fund managed by North Yorkshire Council. The funding will go towards assessing the viability of a geothermal heat network for the town of Pickering, using both existing redundant gas wells located near to the town as well as new boreholes.

The work will be done in collaboration with CeraPhi Energy (CeraPhi) and Third Energy, a local energy company that owns several wells in Ryedale and now a fully owned subsidiary of CeraPhi Limited. The new study will build on an assessment already completed by CeraPhi in late 2023, funded by the UK Government’s Heat Networks Delivery Unit, on decarbonizing the Pickering Swimming and Fitness Centre.

This new study will consider a hub-and-spoke approach to cover as much of the geographical footprint of the town as possible. The southern geothermal hub will incorporate both new wells and two of Third Energy’s existing wells that are located about 1.5 km south of the town.

In addition to the swimming pool and fitness centre, the study will also incorporate residential properties, businesses, local schools and other public buildings. Using geothermal heat for a community heat network will result in a sustainable and virtually carbon-free heating solution and should also significantly reduce ongoing heating costs for any business or customers connected to the network.

Mike Potter, CIC Board Member said “I have been working with Third Energy on the repurposing of their redundant gas infrastructure for several years. Converting this infrastructure for sustainable energy usage to the benefit of the town in the form of lower energy costs but with a significantly smaller carbon footprint is a very exciting possibility. Having CeraPhi Energy involved means we have some of the UK’s leading geothermal engineers assisting us with the assessment.”

Russell Hoare, former MD of Third Energy and now Director of Yorkshire Projects for CeraPhi Energy added “We have been working on several geothermal repurposing projects in the surrounding area and have had success in a lot of feasibility work, but this project has the potential to reach many more consumers, businesses and residents than any of our other projects. It’s great to be working with the CIC on this exciting opportunity.”

Gary Williams, COO of CeraPhi Energy said “Combining Third Energy’s assets and local knowledge with our geothermal engineering skills means we can provide a bespoke heat network solution for the town of Pickering. This builds on the recent geothermal demonstrator well we operated on one of the Third Energy wells near Kirby Misperton and the work we have already done on the Pickering Swimming and Fitness Centre in town and we look forward to taking this project forward with the CIC.”

Source: Email correspondence