Geothermal resources of the United Kingdom

Abstract

Geothermal prospects in the UK are represented by low enthalpy resources in deep sedimentary basins and 'Hot Dry Rock' (HDR) resources in radiothermal granites, and possibly in deep basement rocks where they are overlain by thick low conductivity sediments. The low enthalpy resources are in Permo-Triassic sandstones at temperatures of more than 40°C. Four deep exploration wells have been drilled to investigate the potential of these sedimentary aquifers. The main HDR resource potential is associated with major granite batholiths in southwest and northern England where temperatures are predicted to be 200°C at about 5.4 and 6 km respectively. The HDR potential is being investigated by the Camborne School of Mines at their test site in Cornwall where three boreholes have been drilled to depths of between 2 and 2.5 km. The Hot Dry Rock Accessible Resource Base at temperatures of more than 100°C and depths of less than 7 km is 36 X 10 21 joules (equivalent to 130 × 10 4 million tons of coal). The low enthalpy Geothermal Resource of the Permo-Triassic sandstones at temperatures of more than 40°C is 200 × 10 l8 joules (equivalent to about 8000 million tons of coal). If only a small fraction of these resources could be developed, it would be significant in terms of the UK’s energy balance.