Think GeoEnergy
Summary
The mining and geothermal energy industries have already had history of working together. The first geothermal power plant in Africa was built in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic Congo. Although modest in size at only 250 kW capacity, the binary plant provided power to the local tin mining operations using water from a nearby 91 °C hot spring.
A more recent example is the Lihir geothermal power plant in Papua New Guinea, which has been supplying power to gold mining operations since 2003. Today, this project is considered a model in the use of geothermal energy for more sustainable mining activities.
Another form of synergy between mining and geothermal can be found in the UK and the Netherlands, where water from flooded mine galleries are used to provide low-carbon heating to houses, schools, and businesses. A mine water heating scheme has been operational in Gateshead since 2023, and another in Wales just started operating a few months ago.
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