Geothermal plant plans to drill four more wells

The UK's first geothermal power plant said it wants to increase the number of underground wells it was previously allowed from two to six.

Eden Geothermal, in Cornwall, said proposed changes to a previously approved planning application offered "a significant benefit in terms of increasing the renewable energy generated on site". Other changes were proposed to allow for an increase in generation capacity, it added.

Members of the public who live near the Eden Project have been invited to discuss the proposed changes at Trethurgy Village Hall on Wednesday between 15:00 GMT to 19:00 and 6 November from 15:00 to 18:00.

The planning application has a determination date of 18 November.

Eden Geothermal said key changes included increasing the size of an air-cooled condenser bank, reconfiguration of site buildings and the installation of two substations, rather than the one previously agreed with Cornwall Council, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

The plant's water storage lagoon would be decreased in size if the changes were agreed.

Reaching about 5km (3.1miles/16,400 ft) below the Earth's surface, the current geothermal well taps into water temperatures of up to 200C (390F) to provide heating to Eden's greenhouses and rainforest biome.

The current well at Eden Geothermal has a vertical depth of just over 4.8km (3 miles).

A second similarly-sized well was also approved in December 2010, but has yet to be drilled.

Project bosses now want to drill four more wells in a bid to increase capacity "without the need to extend beyond the approved boundary or substantially alter what has already been approved".

A supporting report by Gilly Slater, on behalf of SLR Consulting Limited, stated: "The surface area of the site remains unchanged, such that the proposed amendments will not result in any impacts to the Tree Preservation Order area or the existing drainage system and strategy."

Cornwall Council's landscape team were supportive of Eden Geothermal's mitigation of likely effects of the proposals on the site itself and upon its wider landscape context.

They stated: "It should be noted that the development/construction phase of the project may involve disturbance through other environmental factors (dust, noise, etc) which lay outside of the scope of this consultation and report."

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