Paul Younger, to whose memory this issue is dedicated, was an early advocate of a geothermal energy renaissance in the north of England. This paper offers background to the experience gained with the Eastgate BH1 and Eastgate BH2B boreholes, focused on exploring the geothermal potential of the Weardale Granite, followed by what has subsequently become known as the Newcastle Science Central Deep Geothermal Borehole (NSCDGB), which found a sequence of (presumed) Fell Sandstones. These efforts represent not only a legacy piece of the energy infrastructure in the UK, but also a legacy of Paul Younger. While the NSCDGB has not been developed using conventional geothermal methods, it has proved invaluable in providing data and a modelling test-bed for the geothermal potential of northern England and it is hoped that in future years it can serve as a testing facility for deep geothermal research. Research carried out as part of the recently concluded NetZero GeoRDIE has confirmed that it could still be converted to a Deep Borehole Heat Exchanger (DBHE), with an indicative total continuous heat yield of >50 kW for a lifetime of 25 years if repurposed to c.920 m depth.

geothermal energy, deep borehole heat exchanger, repurposing deep boreholes