Scientists identify major geothermal energy source beneath Manchester city centre 

Manchester University

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According to Renewable Energy magazine: ‘the gravity survey is now proposed to be scaled up and taken airborne using the world’s most powerful subsurface gravity imager, with the hope of making a major impact on the UK’s energy transition targets.’ – Whether this can amount to much remains to be seen, but as an alternative to solar panels it has the major advantage of not being weather or daylight dependent.
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Scientists have identified a significant geothermal energy source deep beneath the University of Manchester, with the potential to deliver large-scale clean power to the city, reports Energy Live News.

The discovery comes from a knowledge exchange project between remote sensing company Metatek and the University of Manchester. The team combined legacy subsurface data from the 1980s with new land gravity measurements collected in 2025.

Using a simplified version of Metatek’s airborne gravity technology, researchers mapped geological structures around 2,000 metres below the University campus. The results reveal high-temperature zones created by burial depth and pressure.

Dr David Johnstone, Senior Geoscientist at Metatek, said: “Our project, and subsequent work, provides the building blocks to create a detailed 3D geological model of the strata beneath the University campus, allowing us to select a drill location that could target high temperature zones due to the burial depth and pressure.”

He added that the geothermal resource could “unlock a tremendous amount of cheap and clean energy”. If developed, it could offset a significant share of the University’s energy demand of more than 100GWh per year.

That output is equivalent to the electricity consumption of around 25,000 homes, or the town of Altrincham. The energy potential is comparable to installing roughly 100,000 solar panels, with a similar payback period to other renewable technologies.

Researchers have identified a potential drilling site within Cecil Street Car Park. The required surface area would be no larger than a tennis court.

Full report here.
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Image: Manchester University [credit: Univ. of Manchester]

Geology footnote: My workplace was the 10th floor of a Manchester city centre office block during the 3-month earthquake swarm of 2002.