Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential of abandoned coal mine sites in the East Midlands for producing low cost and sustainable geothermal energy.

To achieve net zero at lowest cost, the UK must look at how to accelerate all low carbon technologies including geothermal. The mine water from coal mines shows good potential as a renewable source for heat networks. The government is therefore supporting mine water schemes at Gateshead and Seaham Garden Village through the Heat Network Investment Project and the Green Heat Network Fund. Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the East Midlands potential the Northeast Local Enterprise Partnership published a report in 2021, supported by the Midlands Energy Hub, assessing options to increase deployment and the Mining Remediation Authority has released opportunity maps.