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 the campus's legacy gas boilers, providing a renewable heat source for the district heating network alongside complementary low-carbon technologies.
Funded through Salix, the project brings additional requirements around programme certainty, reporting and delivery confidence, making successful execution just as important as technical design.
One of the UK's Largest Open Loop Geothermal Schemes
At the heart of the project are twelve deep boreholes drilled into the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer:
- Six abstraction boreholes
- Six reinjection boreholes
- Two observation boreholes
The production boreholes extend to depths of up to 195 metres, while the observation wells provide long-term monitoring of aquifer behaviour and system performance.
Together, they form one of the UK's most significant commercial open loop geothermal installations.
Designing for the Ground, Not the Drawing
Ground conditions across the site are both layered and variable.
Superficial deposits and boulder clay extend to around 20 metres before reaching the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer. To accommodate these conditions, the boreholes incorporate 40 metres of permanent steel casing, socketed into the sandstone and fully grouted.
This approach delivers two important outcomes:
- It maintains borehole stability through the overburden.
- It prevents shallow groundwater from affecting the deeper geothermal system.
Engineering for Reality
Rather than designing purely for expected ground conditions, the focus has been on building resilience into the construction methodology. If drilling conditions require additional casing or design adjustments, the boreholes can accommodate those changes without compromising long-term performance.
That is the difference between designing for expectation and designing for reality.
Proving Long-Term Performance
Each borehole is being developed and pump tested in accordance with Environment Agency requirements, generating the hydrogeological data required to support both abstraction licensing and final system design.
Once drilling is complete, operational testing across multiple abstraction and reinjection pairs will simulate real operating conditions, providing confidence that the completed system will perform as intended under full load.
Delivering Within a Live Campus Environment
All works are being undertaken within a fully operational university campus.
Thousands of students, staff and visitors continue to use the site every day, requiring carefully managed traffic movements, disciplined site operations and close coordination with the university to minimise disruption while maintaining the highest standards of safety.
Projects of this scale demand far more than drilling expertise - they require programme management, communication and meticulous planning.
Supporting the Next Generation
Alongside the construction works, Drift is supporting Aston University's wider focus on sustainability and education.
Through workshops, site visits and engagement with students and staff, we are helping demonstrate how open loop geothermal systems are designed, constructed and delivered in practice.
For us, projects like this are about more than infrastructure. They are an opportunity to help develop the skills and understanding needed to support the next generation of low-carbon engineering.
Industry Recognition
The project has already attracted industry attention, including coverage in Ground Engineering magazine, reflecting both the scale of the scheme and the collaborative approach taken to its delivery.
What sets this project apart is not simply its size.
It is a complex, publicly funded, multi-stakeholder open loop geothermal scheme being delivered within a live university environment. Success depends on alignment between engineering design, hydrogeology, drilling operations and programme management from the very beginning.
Projects like Aston demonstrate why delivery capability matters just as much as design.
Early engineering decisions shape long-term system performance, and understanding the realities of the ground is what turns an ambitious design into a successful geothermal installation.
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