Hebburn Minewater Project

Overview

The Hebburn mine water project will provide renewable heat to public sector buildings in Hebburn by collecting mine water from Hebburn Colliery.

Two boreholes will be drilled into the ground and pumps will be used to get water from disused flooded mines.

The water will go into an energy centre to provide buildings with heat.

The project is one of the first of its kind in the UK.

Benefits of the project

The project will provide renewable heat for:

Hebburn Central
Durham Court (high rise flats)
Lincoln Court (Housing Plus accommodation)

More buildings may be added at a later date.

The project is expected to reduce 319 tonnes of CO2 each year, and help towards our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

The project will not necessarily impact on the cost of your energy bills. However, it means that their energy is being provided through sustainable and innovative means.

Costs

The overall cost of the project is £7.7m, with the European Regional Development Fund contributing 50% (£3.85m). The Council are funding the remaining 50%.

Work schedule

Planning permission for the initial testing phase has been granted and work on the project has begun.

The contractor will be drilling two boreholes into the former mine workings.

During the drilling, there will several vehicles and machinery on site. There will also be an increase in noise levels during the works, however, measures have been put in place to minimise the impact of this.

The drilling works are expected to be complete before the end of 2021.

The project is due to be completed in June 2023.

Work start and finish times:

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday, 8am till 1pm
No work will take place on Sundays or public holidays

If works take longer than expected, nearby residents will be told as soon as possible.

Disruptions

There will be some noise, but no more than a normal construction site.

There may be:

some dust coming from the works - this will be controlled in line with health and safety guidelines and suppressed where possible
some mud within the site - if the mud gets onto the road or footpath, it will be swept away to remove any hazard
no interference will be experienced within the flats during the works. In the Summer of 2022, it is planned to install the new heating pipe work / equipment in the building plant rooms, with final connections to the new network taking place in the Spring of 2023

Two drilling rigs will be on site to drill the boreholes, and cranes will be needed temporarily.

There will deliveries while the site is being set up and throughout the drillings.

The works will not:

cause any vibration, ground sinking or ground collapsing
interfere with your gas, electric or water supply

Restrictions to roads and car parks

Access to houses, apartments and shops will be available at all times.

Some roads will be closed but there will be alternative routes available.

The car park near the BT telephone box, to the south of St John's Precinct will have restricted access. Other car parks next to Hebburn Central are available.

The footpath on the north side of Victoria Road West, next to the site, will be closed. There will be a temporary crossing provided near to the junction of Derby Crescent.

Site location and access

The drilling site will be set up near the TSB Bank and old Roadhouse Pub site, off Victoria Road West (A185). The compound will be set up opposite the drilling site, on grassland which used to be the Mountbatten Medical Centre.

Please see below for site map.

The map shows two areas which have been outlined in red. The drill site is on the left and the site compound is on the right.

The access gates to the sites are outlined in blue. There are 2 gates for the drill site and one for the site compound.

There is a blue line and black arrow at the bottom of the drill site which shows the first access gate, the auxiliary entrance.

There are 2 black arrows, between the 2 sites, to show how to get access to the second drill site access gate, and the compound access gate.

There is some hoarding with a handrail, opposite the TSB bank, which is outlined in green. There are 2 public viewing panels to for the drill site which are highlighted in pink.

Hebburn Mine Water drill site and site compound600.54KB

Workers will get access from Victoria Road West (behind Mountbatten Shopping Centre).

The site will be secured at all times.

Information for business owners

Parking at the shopping centre, which is south of St John's precinct, will be restricted.

Other car parks are available next to Hebburn Central.

There may be:

some local road closures or diversions (there will always be access to the shopping centre)
large deliveries and vehicle movements which may temporarily restrict access - this will be kept to an absolute minimum, and business owners will be told in advance

The works will not:

restrict access to your shop or premises for long periods of time
cause you to close your shop
affect your business hours and operations

Emergency procedures

The contractor has prepared a Drilling Risk Assessment and Method Statement, which includes emergency procedures for managing and controlling the escape or release of mine gases. However, the risk of this happening is low.

If mine gasses do escape, the contractor will start its emergency procedures.

An alarm will be raised by the sounding of constant blast on an air horn. If the alarm is raised, we ask that you close all windows in your home / premises and we recommend you stay indoors.

Once the emergency has been dealt with and the borehole / drilling site classed safe to continue work, there will be two long blasts on air horn to confirm this.

Comments and complaints

If you have any questions about the works:

email hebburnminewater@southtyneside.gov.uk
or call the Customer Contact Centre on 0191 427 7000

Making a complaint for immediate issues

If you have any immediate issues and would like to make an informal complaint, please email hebburnminewater@southtyneside.gov.uk or contact the Customer Contact Centre on 0191 427 7000.

The South Tyneside Council project team will respond to your email and check to see if your issue can be resolved immediately.

Making a formal complaint

To make a formal complaint, either:

Complete the online complaint form
Visit a Customer Service Centre at South Shields Town Hall or Jarrow Town Hall
Call the Customer Contact Centre on 0191 427 7000
Write to South Tyneside Council, Town Hall & Civic Offices, Westoe Road, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE33 2RL

News and updates

Green Light for Innovative Energy Scheme
10 May 2021

Milestone for Minewater Energy Scheme
28 January 2021

Local People Invited to Learn about Pioneering Scheme
17 September 2021

Companies to be Established for Cutting-Edge Schemes
21 May 2020

Town's Mining Legacy To Create Renewable Energy System
21 April 2020

Conductor casing on the abstraction well
Crane lift on the Hebburn Minewater project site
Workmen working on the temporary casing on the abstraction well - Hebburn Minewater project