An experiment in sourcing sustainable and secure energy underground is to be held in the grounds of the Stormont estate in East Belfast.
The proposal includes drilling of four boreholes each to a depth of up to 250 metres and one cored borehole to a depth of up to 500 metres deep. The aim of the project is to conduct geothermal exploratory and feasibility studies in accordance with the actions set out within the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy .
Low temperature heat from shallow depths is used mostly by transferring heat from the rocks to a circulating fluid in a pipe, which can be extracted and further warmed using a heat pump. The heat exchange processes can also operate in reverse and transfer excess heat back to the subsurface, thereby cooling buildings.
The council report states: “The aim of this geothermal project is to capture natural heat and use it as renewable energy, to assist with moving away from fossil fuel use.