A new working group bringing together organisations from across Aberdeen has met for the first time to explore how geothermal could contribute to the city's future energy needs.
The inaugural Aberdeen City Geothermal Working Group meeting took place at the University of Aberdeen on 2 October, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in understanding and developing the city’s geothermal potential.
Co-hosted by the University and Robert Gordon University (RGU), the meeting was supported by NHS Grampian and NHS Assure, alongside Geothermal UK and the National Geothermal Centre, with attendees from a wide range of regional businesses and organisations.
The group has been established to bring together expertise and perspectives from across the city and beyond, helping to build a clearer picture of the opportunities for geothermal energy in Aberdeen and the work required to realise them.
Geothermal uses naturally occurring heat beneath the Earth’s surface and has the potential to provide a low-carbon source of heat. It can be paired with other technologies such as heat storage and offshore wind electricity generation as part of city-wide energy transition solutions. The meeting considered how Aberdeen’s existing knowledge, infrastructure and expertise could support further exploration of its potential locally.
Participants agreed to develop a series of working groups focusing on five key areas:
- Size of the prize and public value, exploring the potential scale of the opportunity and the benefits it could deliver
- Subsurface evidence and technical data, looking at the information and evidence needed to better understand the geothermal resource
- Heat networks, estates and infrastructure, considering how geothermal could connect with existing and future heat requirements
- Delivery, investment and regulation, examining what would be required to turn opportunities into viable projects
- Skills, supply chain and market building, exploring how local expertise and economic capacity could support a future geothermal sector
Dr Dave Cornwell, co-lead of the Aberdeen Geothermal Feasibility Pilot at the University of Aberdeen, said: “Aberdeen has all the key knowledge and expertise in the subsurface, energy and the built environment, so there is a real opportunity to bring that collective capability to start the discussion and develop practical steps towards geothermal in the city.
“This first meeting was the first step in the process; getting people around the table, identifying the questions we need to answer, what data we all have, and agreeing how we can work together to build the evidence base. The level of engagement was hugely encouraging and gives us a strong foundation for the work ahead. We would also extend a welcome to more people joining the group for future meetings.”
The initiative brings together organisations with different but complementary interests, from research and technical expertise to major estates, infrastructure, community and the delivery of public services.
Chris Moule, Director of Research, Innovation & Enterprise at RGU said: “This collaboration highlights the unique strengths that each partner brings to Aberdeen's energy transition journey. At RGU, we are proud to contribute our internationally recognised expertise in subsurface engineering, geothermal energy, and digital simulation through facilities such as our state-of-the-art geothermal simulator. By combining cutting-edge research infrastructure with industry knowledge and regional partnerships, we can help accelerate the development of practical, evidence-based solutions that support a more sustainable energy future for Aberdeen and beyond.”
NHS Grampian's Energy Manager Michael Black said: "It's great to have a working group exploring the opportunity of utilising deep geothermal heat to decarbonise Aberdeen. We were pleased to support a desk-based feasibility study by partners TownRock Energy with Scottish Government funding last year and remain hopeful deep geothermal heat could meet the demands of Foresterhill Health Campus as well as benefitting the city more widely. This important new partnership could lead to a resilient, low carbon future for Aberdeen."
The next meeting of the Aberdeen City Geothermal Working Group will take place at RGU in the new year.
Information on joining the group can be found here.