Since I became a Member of Parliament, I have been a strong campaigner on deep geothermal. This is a green energy and heat producing technology that has been underutilised in the UK, but the industry has been growing.
Deep geothermal works by heating water via running it underground. Closer to the core of the Earth, the rock is hotter than the surface of the sun, so by drilling even a comparatively small way into the crust, and running water across this rock, we can gain this energy that is otherwise wasted. This is therefore a green and infinite source of heat and energy that I think should be used more in helping us reach our net-zero goals.
There are some examples of this being utilised in the UK. The Eden Project in Cornwall has successfully built a geothermal plant, with little disruption to their neighbours, and are now producing energy with the deep heat that they have unlocked. Geothermal plants are surprisingly small too – they can be as small as a shed!
To advance this technology, I have written a report, titled ‘Dig Deep’, which was commissioned by Prime Minister Johnson. You can read this below. I have also set up the Deep Geothermal All Party Parliamentary Group, which is a cross-party group of MPs and Lords who agree with my stance on geothermal, and meet regularly with the Government and industry stakeholders to discuss what can be done to get more deep geothermal across the UK!
In this page you will be able to read updates in this important campaign.