The first stage of exciting plans to heat a section of Jubilee Pool in Penzance using geothermal energy has begun. Drilling of a 1.4km deep geothermal well has started which will enable visitors to enjoy bathing in waters of around 35°C in a section of the pool. It will become one the first modern facilities of its kind in the country to be heated using geothermal energy, since the renovation of the Roman baths at Bath in the 1980s.
The new heated section, which will open to the public in the summer of 2019, will lead the way in showing how geothermal technology can be utilised across the UK. The project is being undertaken by Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) after securing funding from the European Regional Development Fund. GEL has secured a licence from Geon Energy, a joint venture company set up by Arup and GEL for some of the technology used in the project.