Delivering Large-Scale Open Loop Geothermal at a Live University Campus

This project is being delivered at Aston University, where a large-scale open loop geothermal system is forming a central part of the university’s decarbonisation programme.

The open loop geothermal scheme at Aston University, in Birmingham, has been designed to replace legacy gas boilers supplying the campus district heating network, working alongside complementary technologies as part of a broader low-carbon energy strategy.

The project has been funded through Salix, which brings its own requirements around programme, reporting and delivery confidence.

At its core, the scheme involves twelve deep boreholes into the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer - six abstraction and six reinjection - drilled to depths of up to 195 metres.  Two observation boreholes are also being installed to monitor aquifer behaviour and support long-term system understanding.

Ground conditions on site are layered and variable.  Superficial deposits and boulder clay extend to around 20 metres, overlying the sandstone aquifer.  To manage this, the design incorporates 40 metres of permanent steel casing, socketed into the sandstone and fully grouted.  This ensures borehole stability through the overburden and prevents shallow groundwater from impacting the deeper system.

Drift has played a key role in refining borehole design, particularly around diameter and casing strategy.  The focus has been on building in resilience, ensuring that if conditions require additional lining or adjustment during drilling, the system can accommodate it without compromising performance.

This is the difference between designing for expectation and designing for reality.

Each borehole is being pump tested in line with Environment Agency requirements, generating the data needed to support both licensing and system design.  Once drilling is complete, operational testing across multiple borehole pairs will simulate real system loads, providing confidence in how the scheme will perform in practice.

All of this is being delivered within a live university environment.  The campus remains fully operational, with constant pedestrian movement, academic activity and logistical constraints.  Delivery requires controlled traffic management, disciplined site operations and a high level of coordination to ensure safety and minimise disruption.

Alongside the physical works, we are actively supporting the university’s wider focus on future energy and sustainability.  That includes engaging with staff and students through workshops and site interaction, helping to build understanding of how open loop geothermal systems are delivered in practice.

For us, that’s a fundamental part of projects like this - not just installing infrastructure, but contributing to the knowledge and capability that will support the next generation of low-carbon delivery.

The project has already attracted industry attention, including coverage in Ground Engineering magazine, reflecting both the scale of the scheme and the way it is being delivered.

What stands out here is not just the size of the scheme, but the way it is being handled.  This is a complex, funded, multi-stakeholder project being delivered in a live environment.  It requires alignment between design, hydrogeology and delivery, alongside an understanding of how funding and programme constraints shape decision-making.

It is exactly the kind of scheme where early-stage decisions determine whether the system performs as intended once operational - and where delivery capability is as important as design.

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