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Southampton District Energy Scheme
Country	United Kingdom
Location	Southampton
Coordinates	50°54′17″N 1°24′35″W / 50.904780°N 1.4096148°W / 50.904780; -1.4096148
Status	Operational
Commission date	1986
Owner	ENGIE
Geothermal power station
Min. source temp.	76 °C
Max. well depth	1,800 m (5,900 ft)
External links
Commons	Related media on Commons
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The Southampton District Energy Scheme is a district heating and cooling system in Southampton, United Kingdom. The system is owned and operated by ENGIE.

History

In the 1980s the Department of Energy undertook a research and development programme to examine the potential of geothermal aquifers in the UK. However, after some initial success drilling a well in the Wessex Basin in 1981, it was deemed too small to be commercially viable. The project was abandoned by the Department of Energy, but Southampton City Council took the decision to create the UK's first geothermal power scheme. This was undertaken as part of a plan to become a "self sustaining city" in energy generation, promoted by City Council officer Mike Smith and council leader Alan Whitehead.

Pumping started in 1986 from the Wessex Basin aquifer at a depth of 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and a temperature of 76 °C (169 °F). The system initially supplied only the Southampton Civic Centre, but was gradually expanded to serve over 1,000 residential properties, as well as the WestQuay shopping centre, the Royal South Hants Hospital, Solent University and the Carnival offices; and is part of an enlarged city centre district heating system that includes other combined heating, cooling and power sources.

By 2007 the system had 11 km (6.8 miles) of pipes, and was producing 40 GWh of heat, 22 GWh of electricity and 8 GWh of cooling per year.

By 2014 the system provided 7 MW CHP, 2 MW of geothermal power, and 1 MW from biomass, saving 12,000 tons CO₂ per year.

See also

• Geothermal power in the United Kingdom

References

1. ^ "Case Study: Southampton". Greenpeace UK. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
2. Ned Williams (30 November 2017). "Southampton's Geothermal Pursuit: A Success or Failure?". Wessex Scene. Southampton University Students Union. Archived from the original on 30 November 2017. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
3. Jon Gluyas; Andrew Crossland; Charlotte Adams (3 May 2019). "36bn GWh: the "limitless" Geothermal from old UK coal mines". Energy Post. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
4. Introduction to Geothermal Resource University of East Anglia
5. Geothermal District Heating Southampton case study

v t e Electricity generation in South East England
Power stations	Biomass Active Slough Closed Didcot A (co-fired) Kingsnorth (co-fired) Coal Closed Brighton A + B Cowes Didcot A (co-fired) Earley Eastbourne Broomgrove Kingsnorth (co-fired) Littlebrook A, B + C Northfleet Osney Portsmouth Richborough Slough Southampton Gas Active Cowes Damhead Creek Didcot B Grain Humbly Grove Hythe Marchwood Medway Sevington Shoreham Storrington Closed Hastings Slough Geothermal Active Southampton Incinerators/Waste Active Allington Quarry Chineham Isle of Wight Marchwood Newhaven Portsmouth Slough Nuclear Closed Dungeness A Dungeness B Refused/cancelled Dungeness C Oil Closed Kingsnorth (co-fired) Fawley Grain Littlebrook A, B + C, D Marchwood Northfleet Richborough Solar Active Brighton Westmill Wind Active Green Park Gunfleet Sands Kentish Flats London Array Romney Marsh Rampion Thanet Westmill Refused/cancelled Navitus Bay Hydro Active Mapledurham Osney Reading Romney Sandford
Organisations	Brighton Electric Light Company Centrica Expro International Group Hammond Electric Light Company UK Power Networks Pre-nationalisation electric power companies Seeboard Southern Electric Western Power Distribution

• District heating in the United Kingdom
• District cooling in the United Kingdom
• Southampton
• Geothermal power stations in England
• 1986 establishments in England