University of Leeds, UK reports promising results from geothermal drilling campaign
The University of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England (source: Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Carlo Cariaga
26 Mar 2025
The geothermal boreholes drilled at the University of Leeds in the UK have yielded better-than-expected results and will inform the design of a heating system.
The University of Leeds in the UK has reported promising results from the first phase of a geothermal heating project in the campus, stating that the groundwater yield and thermal conductivity measured from the boreholes are higher tan the team’s initial assumptions.
This means that more energy can be obtained from the boreholes that had been drilled in 2024. The information will inform the design of the corresponding heating systems and will have implications on the university’s journey to net zero.
The project is a collaboration between Geosolutions Leeds, the Facilities Directorate, the University’s Net Zero Delivery teams, engineering consultancy Buro Happold and drilling contractors ANTS Group. It is actively operating as a Living Lab project, used as a real-life case study for students while also being used to evaluate the possible use of geothermal energy in the campus and the wider region.
“It’s exciting to see the culmination of the drilling last year with positive recommendations for the development of the shallow geothermal energy system on campus,” commented Fleur Loveridge, Professor of Geo-Energy Engineering in the School of Civil Engineering.
Designing a geothermal heating system
With the first phase of the project completed, the university will now progress to the design of geothermal heating systems in the campus. Plans are in development for a new geothermal campus energy centre, which will form the backbone for a low-carbon heat supply to the engineering cluster.
“As we move onto the next stages, which will design and build that new energy system, I can now look forward to working in a building heated with low-carbon renewable energy from beneath the campus,” further added Loveridge.
Insights from the project will also help the progress of other geothermal research projects in Leeds. This includes the newly announced GeoGrid project which explores how geothermal can be used for grid balancing, thus helping to integrate renewable energy sources in the UK’s energy systems.
Source: University of Leeds / Faculty of Environment News
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