Water from disused coal mines could heat our homes cheaply and cleanly, say MPs

Water from old coal pits should be tested to see if it can be used to fuel a windfall of green energy, MPs say today.

The Coal Communities All-Party Parliamentary Group is calling for investigations into whether mine water can be used for cheap heating using geothermal energy.

This is part of a series of recommendations from the all-party panel's latest report, Next Steps in Leveling Legacy Coalfields.

“The UK and devolved governments should investigate geothermal energy from mine water as a sustainable source of heating in former coalfields,” the study says.

"There is a desire for former coalfields to play their part in the transition to a green economy.

“The distinctive asset that coalfields can bring is the potential for geothermal heating from water from abandoned mines.

"This is an opportunity to provide sustainable, reliable and inexpensive heating to many former coalfield communities with little or no associated carbon footprint.

Communities like Rhondda could benefit from the plan (

Picture:

Matthew Horwood)

"It also has the potential to provide significant opportunities for more skilled employment."

Writing exclusively for the Mirror, APPG Chair Alex Davies-Jones, MP for Pontypridd in the South Wales Valleys, says: "Just as coal mining was integral to the launch of Britain's industrial revolution, with the right policies, the coal communities are standing again at a critical moment, ready to play their part in making Britain a clean energy superpower at the forefront of a new technological revolution. /p>

"Labour's plan for a clean energy revolution and a thriving digital economy will run through the valleys of South Wales - if only we can persuade the government to listen.

"In this way, coal communities are not only sustained, but able to thrive again in the 21st century."

MP for Pontypridd Alex Davies-Jones at Rhondda Heritage Park

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