Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an estimate of the geothermal energy potential of minewater in the South Wales Coalfield; and whether he has had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on this issue.

There is ongoing work to assess the potential contribution of geothermal heat in Wales. The Coal Authority is working closely with the Welsh Government to produce a full Mine Water Heat resource map for Wales, identifying key opportunity locations and an overall resource estimate. The map is scheduled for completion later this year.

Heat is a devolved policy area but the Department has funded studies for local authorities to explore minewater heat opportunities across South Wales.