HOT water pumped from the ground has the potential to heat homes in York and across much of the region.

A ground-breaking report says such geothermal energy could supply homes in York, Hambleton, Harrogate and the East Riding of Yorkshire, along with former coalfields.

Now its author has written to council leaders and MPs to arrange meetings to see how to take the opportunity forward.

The report by Crewe MP Dr Keiran Mullan was commissioned by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and presented to successor Rishi Sunak last week.

It reveals 45 local authority areas that could host a geothermal power plant according to scientific analysis by Durham University.

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Deep Geothermal energy uses heat from naturally occurring underground water sources to generate  large amounts of usable energy. Historically, such sources occurred through natural hot springs, like famous Roman baths, but modern technology can access by drilling into acquifiers to access the hot water up to 6km below.

The carbon neutral energy is already used overseas, generating two-thirds of energy in Iceland heating many homes in France, Germany and the Netherlands. Germany is targeting more than 100 geothermal projects and Munich is spending 1billion euros on geothermal energy to make the city carbon neutral by 2035.

Dr Mullan says the UK has fallen behind others in developing this technology, but it could use skills from the oil and gas sectors to catch up. Some 35,000 jobs could be generated by 2050 installing such generation plants. The potential also appears greatest in areas needing ‘levelling up.’

He continued: “Unlike wind or solar this technology provides baseload-it is there constantly. And our expertise in drilling in the North Sea mean we are well placed to motor ahead. But we have catching up to do because across Europe there has been much stronger government intervention to support nascent deep geothermal industries in those countries.”

This energy source also has wide support from academic and environmental groups, such as Greenpeace and the United Nations.

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The UK government is also supportive and already small projects are underway in Durham.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “We have made rapid progress on switching to homegrown renewable electricity and have made energy security a key priority. Success is going to depend on pulling all the levers at our disposal.

“I want to thank Kieran for producing this excellent report which will help us consider whether there is a bigger role for deep geothermal. The findings on how developing this technology overlaps with opportunities to level up really add to our understanding of the possible benefits and I know Grant (Shapps) will look at this closely.”

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps MP added: “Every renewable has its strengths and weaknesses, and this report highlights how deep geothermal is working well in Europe and how it can potentially contribute in the UK.”