(The Geothermal Plant in Iceland)

Plans for the first commercial geothermal plant in the UK could be approved in Cornwall and could be generating heat and electricity as early as 2013.

The news comes after an exploratory drilling project was granted local planning permission in the Cornwall area. Engineers will be drilling a 4.5km deep borehole at the beginning of next year at a site near Redruth and another site at the Eden project is still awaiting approval.

The drilling is the first sign of a possible geothermal power sector in the UK, the Government hope projects such as these can contribute one to five gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy in the next 2 decades. Germany has an estimated 150 geothermal power plant project in the pipeline.

Geothermal energy involves pumping water up to 5km underground where it is heated by hot rocks then is pumped back up to the surface and can either be converted into electricity or used as a source of renewable heat. A massive positive for using geothermal is that is it able to operate consistently 24 hours a day.

After extensive research which took place in the 1970s and 80s it is thought that Cornwall will be the best site for geothermal power due to the county’s granite bedrock.

The Department for Energy and Climate has backed both of the projects with over £2 million in funding to help get the ball rolling.

If successful in its exploratory drilling, the Redruth project would produce 10 megawatts (MW) of electricity and 55MW of renewable heat for the local community.

According to Ryan Law, Managing Director of the company behind the project Geothermal Engineering Ltd, the energy produced over the course of a year is the equivalent to 21 wind turbines.