Harnessing the heat beneath our feet

DISUSED mine workings under the Fishponds area could start providing energy again - without removing a single lump of coal.

Mines in Bristol and the surrounding area, including pits in Easton and Speedwell, produced millions of tons of coal, but the last of them closed in the 1930s.

Some left their mark in some place names - Deep Pit Road is named after a mine which stood near the junction with Knapps Lane, on what is now part of the Fishponds Trading Estate.

Others vanished - another colliery stood on the site later occupied by Speedwell fire station, next to Bristol Brunel Academy.

But another potential legacy is now set to be investigated: many mine workings are flooded with water that is naturally heated by underground geological activity. It is believed this heat could potentially be tapped, using pumps to raise the temperature to the level needed and provide heating and hot water.

The government's Coal Authority has made an initial study of records of local disused and abandoned coal mines, which identified a number of "areas of interest".

Top of its list was an area stretching from Old Market to Straits Parade and Eastville to Speedwell.

Hillfields is part of the third area of interest identified by the authority, covering the workings of the Kingswood pits.

The two other areas identified are between Hanham and Oldland Common, and in the area around Lyde Green and Emersons Green.

South Gloucestershire Council has shown an interest in the potential of the mines for renewable energy.

It is now looking to secure funding to undertake a further study to see whether tapping the heat is a viable prospect.

The council believes it could potentially supply either "single buildings such as schools, hospitals and offices, or a heat network serving multiple buildings or a district".

South Gloucestershire climate emergency manager Barry Wyatt said: "What we need to understand now is just how big the energy resource is and how we could make best use of it."

Council leader Toby Savage said the mines "may yet be part of the solution to the climate and our move towards becoming carbon neutral".

As yet, there has not been any physical investigation of any of the mines.

The Voice has asked Bristol City Council if it has been in discussions with the Coal Authority and South Gloucestershire Council or is also carrying out research about the potential viability of the idea.