Third Energy’s Kirby Misperton KM8 well site has seen a green transformation into an operational test site for geothermal energy production, led by innovative geothermal project developers, CeraPhi Energy and partly funded by the Net Zero Technology Centre.
I was thrilled to visit today to see this remarkable site. This pioneering demonstration project stands as a ground-breaking initiative in the UK, marking the country's first endeavour of this kind. Its success holds the promise of positioning the UK at the forefront of innovative energy technologies on a global scale.
The project is hugely exciting. It has the potential to provide energy security for our region and ties in with the wider national commitments to tackle climate change. Along with the match-funded grant from the government, Third Energy has put its faith in this project which is now paying off. I'm also pleased my constituents have been consulted along the way and look forward to seeing the progress of the site.
Previous community engagement survey work funded by the government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and undertaken by Ryedale District Council in 2022, discovered that more than eight out of ten people who responded said that they would ‘happy’ or ‘satisfied’ with the Geothermal Energy proposals in North Yorkshire.
Once engaged in onshore gas extraction, Third Energy shifted its focus towards repurposing its existing infrastructure for the generation and distribution of clean energy after the fracking moratorium was imposed in 2019.
CeraPhi Energy is a leading renewable energy company, providing clean geothermal energy solutions on a global level. Their operations span from the UK to Houston, Texas, where more than 6,200 abandoned oil and gas wells can be repurposed for clean energy usage, whilst removing price-prohibitive plug and abandonment processes.
