“Providing low-carbon, homegrown power and heat, geothermal projects such as United Downs and the new site at Penhallow have a significant role to play in the UK’s transition to net zero. As geothermal generation doesn’t require favourable weather conditions – such as wind and solar – and can generate electricity 24/7, it can help end our reliance on dirty fossil fuel imports at a time when it is so desperately needed.”

“The recent energy price shock has shown how much we need to develop home grown, renewable energy sources, particularly those that provide energy when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. The geothermal resource has been overlooked in the UK, as a source of both baseload electricity and renewable heat. As a country we urgently need to be accelerating investment in all renewables to fully support our transition to net zero. The United Downs project has proved that geothermal energy can produce baseload electricity in the UK and the GEL team are looking forward to expanding Cornwall’s geothermal energy production to help secure stable energy costs, green jobs and to strengthen the Cornish economy.”