A north-east England wine merchant has extended its pioneering partnership with the Mining Remediation Authority through to 2044, after becoming the first private business in Great Britain to harness heat from disused coal mines to power its operations.
Lanchester Wines, based in Gateshead, has installed two open-loop water source heat pumps with a combined capacity of 4 megawatts, capable of heating more than 33,000 square metres of warehouse space using heat drawn from flooded former coal mines beneath the region. The company has invested approximately £13 million in renewable heat and energy generation across its sites as part of a broader sustainability strategy that has already seen it powered almost entirely by wind and solar energy.
The newly signed access agreement extends the Mining Remediation Authority partnership to 2044 and was shaped significantly by Lanchester Wines’ own operational experience, introducing greater flexibility for businesses including provisions for ownership transitions and operational changes while removing what the Authority described as unnecessary barriers to access.
Richard Bond, innovation and services director at the Mining Remediation Authority, praised the company’s role in establishing the framework for others to follow. “Lanchester Wines has been a true pioneer. As the first private business in Great Britain to harness heat from disused coal mines, it has not only demonstrated what is possible but has actively helped us build a better, more accessible framework for others to follow. The company’s willingness to share knowledge, help shape processes and invest for the long term is exactly the kind of collaboration that drives real change.”
Veronica Cleary, director of Lanchester Wines Cellars Ltd, said the company’s early adoption of geothermal heat pump technology had directly informed the new agreement. “We are proud to have partnered closely with the Mining Remediation Authority to shape Great Britain’s Heat Access Agreement, creating a clearer route for businesses to collaborate on geothermal projects. By working collaboratively to simplify what was previously a complex and evolving process, we have helped establish a framework that balances government priorities with commercial reality.”
Lanchester Wines forms part of the wider Lanchester Group, which also includes Greencroft Bottling, Spicers of Hythe and Bon Bon’s Wholesale.
The agreement reflects the Mining Remediation Authority’s broader ambition to expand commercial use of Britain’s mine water heat resources, which it says have the potential to provide secure, low-carbon heating to homes, businesses and communities across former coalfield areas — turning a legacy of the country’s industrial past into a foundation for its clean energy future.
