GT Energy is the geothermal business of oil and gas company IGas Energy (IGas) following an acquisition back in 2020. The acquisition was made in line with IGas’s strategy of diversifying into the wider UK energy market whilst leveraging its core competencies as an UK onshore operator.
The next phase of the project is the creation of an Innovation Partnership between GT Energy, the Trust and the CEF for the parties to work together through the project development phases to deliver a geothermal heat plant for supply of renewable heat to the hospital on a long-term basis.
The plant is proposed to fulfil the full heat requirements of the hospital (currently >20GWhth/annum) on a long-term energy supply agreement. The project anticipates making future applications to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) to assist in the funding of the project, although progression is not conditional on a grant from the PSDS.
GT Energy will de-risk and develop the geothermal project from initial geological feasibility, through consenting, to construction of the wells and the energy centre. It is expected that heat supply will begin in early 2026 subject to normal planning, regulatory permitting, and procurement cycles. It is envisaged that GT Energy will own and operate the facility.
“This is an important step forward for GT Energy. The NHS 2040 net zero target places it at the forefront of decarbonising healthcare, making it the world’s first national health system to commit to become ‘carbon net zero’, backed by clear deliverables and milestones. GT Energy along with the Trust and the CEF look forward to realising this project which will position Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust at the forefront of the NHS’s ambition,” said Ross Glover, COO of IGas.
“This is an incredibly exciting development for the Trust in our journey toward net carbon zero. Eliminating our reliance upon fossil fuels with an on-site geothermal source will be both renewable and give us strong resilience from external (off-site) energy infrastructure and the associated inflationary pressures. We are proud to be working with GT Energy and trailblazing geothermal energy opportunities within the NHS and look forward to the development of this infrastructure upgrade over the coming months,” said Brian Johnson, Director of Estates Salisbury NHS Trust.