Welcome to this week's newsletter.
I just want to quickly say that I am overwhelmed by the positive response to last week's announcement that Leighton will be getting a Government-funded rebuild. This is fantastic news for the area and will help the hospital carry on its vital work for decades to come. Thanks again to everyone who supported the campaign (if you missed the news see here).
This week, I presented the Prime Minister with a report into Deep Geothermal Energy that I have produced over the last year. I began looking into it because of the potential for it here in Cheshire. I was delighted to be asked to produce a report for the country by the Prime Minister to help drive it forward.
It is not only a clean, reliable and cost effective energy source, but a lot of the areas where plants could be located are also areas that are most in need of levelling up. This, therefore, could also be a fantastic way to bring much needed jobs and investment to communities around the country - including here in Crewe and Nantwich. Read on below to find out more of my findings.
It was great to see the report get a lot of media coverage that will help raise awareness of what this can do for us. A couple of examples here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-65787162
I also went along to the closing ceremony of the Knife Angel statue in Crewe. It was a very poignant ceremony, and we heard from the families of knife crime victims - a stark reminder of the devastation that violence can cause. A huge thank you to all those involved in bringing it to the area.
In Parliament last week I bumped into one of Crewe's own Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Vans! I learned about the companies relationship with the British Forces Broadcasting Service and how they have worked together on 'Operation Ice Cream.'
I also met with the Smile Group, a local charity that supports parents who are suffering from perinatal mental illness. Thank you to Natalie and Ruth for the work you do!
Media wise I appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live's MP discussion panel this week, discussing going green and protests amongst other things. You can listen below.
Finally, the Government announced a crackdown on child vape use. While it is illegal to sell vapes to under 18's, there are currently too many falling into the hands of young people through loopholes in the law.
Have a great weekend.
Geothermal Report
Crewe Knife Angel
Operation Ice Cream
Local Charity - Smile Group
Crackdown on Child Vape Use
Traffic Report
Geothermal Report
Dig Deep-One of the answers to decarbonisation & energy security is right under our feet but it isn’t oil and gas
This week I published a review into Deep Geothermal heat and energy options for the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
That must be too good to be true. That was my reaction when first introduced to deep geothermal technology. An environmentally friendly, dependable and cost effective source of heat that can be found right under out feet?
Surely not.
I have been pleasantly surprised to learn that deep geothermal, is in fact, just as good as it sounds. I have spent 12 months speaking to industry experts, visited a deep geothermal plant in Germany and commissioned a new academic study by Durham University to support the work of the review.
Deep Geothermal technology uses the heat from naturally occurring water sources deep underground to generate a large amount of usable heat and energy. Think about naturally occurring hot springs like the famous Roman Baths. Modern technology can allow it to be accessed artificially through drilling into aquifers to access warm water below.
Heat exchangers transmit the heat through to homes and buildings. The sites are chosen exactly because the geology allows water to flow at low pressures, rather than needing to use high pressures to “frack” the rock to create artificial flows (which is why the technology is supported by leading environmental groups).
I was introduced to the technology because of its great potential locally in Cheshire where I am an MP as we sit above the hot underground aquifer known as the Cheshire Basin.
Deep geothermal energy is heating 250,000 homes in Paris and across France more than 600 MWh are produced annually as the government aims to increase the number of schemes by 40 percent by 2030. Munich is pouring in one billion euros through to 2035 to develop the geothermal energy and make the city’s heating carbon neutral. Germany is already producing more than 353 MWh annually and the government is targeting at least 100 new geothermal projects.
As part of my review I was able to visit a plant in Pullach, a suburb of Munich. I got to see for myself how quietly and efficiently this hot water can be utilised. No one would know the little building I visited next to a park and a school was heating the local swimming pool, businesses, town hall and hundreds of homes.
The home heating challenge
Getting to net zero by 2050 is going to require us to pull every possible lever. Transitioning our heating systems is a particular challenge.
The UK has more than 28.5 million homes, and another 1.9 million other buildings – offices, hospitals, shops, warehouses and more. The majority of these are heated by gas boilers, which also provide hot water. Nearly a fifth of all the UK’s emissions come from buildings.
Deep geothermal has its greatest potential in meeting this heating challenge. It will also help reduce demand on the grid created by transitioning all of our heating to electricity.
What needs to be done?
Like wind and solar at their outset, long term financial incentives would help unlock millions in capital investment and kick start the industry. This transfers all the risk to the private sector instead of using taxpayer grants.
This does not need to be a repeat of open ended subsidies that drove the wind and solar industries forward. Proposals from industry asking for a capped amount of support which would still produce the results we need.
The strength of our oil & gas sector can still yet provide us an advantage as we decarbonise with 37,000 direct jobs and 250,000 in the supply chain that could still be redeployed to deep geothermal.
Dip deep to level up
As part of my report I commissioned Durham University’s Energy Institute to review data about where we know the best combination of hot water and rocks are to identify the top 45 places to locate plants. The aim was to kick start local stakeholders into driving forward projects from the ground up.
But in an unexpected but very stark finding, 6 of these 45 sites are in the top 10 of the index used by government to identify areas in need of levelling up. 44% of the list of high potential locations for deep geothermal fall within the top 100 levelling up locations. That is 3 times the amount you would expect as a result of chance.
This gives us yet another reason to look closely at this technology. If we want to secure public support for the energy transition we need to ensure government investment to deliver it is spread to those places most in need of new jobs and opportunities.
I hope my report and other recent efforts by others to highlight the opportunity deep geothermal presents will spark the beginning of an effort to dip deep on geothermal and reap the rewards this will provide.
Thanks to IGas Energy plc for facilitating and funding a visit to Pullach to view their deep geothermal network. Thanks to Conor Burns MP for his advice on the conduct of a review. Thanks to Lee Anderson MP for advice and guidance on coal mine water technology. Thanks to Padraig Hanly of GT Energy UK for providing advice to this review. Thanks also to Prof Jon Gluyas (Director Durham Energy Institute), Corinna Abesser (British Geological Survey), The Renewable Energy Association, The Coal Authority, The Eden Project, Pullach Municipal Council, Ryan Law (Geothermal Engineering Ltd), the Geothermal Energy Advancement Association, The Geological Society and the House of Commons Library.
Click here to read my report in full: https://www.drkieranmullan.org.uk/news/deep-geothermal-report-publishd
Crewe Knife Angel Closing Ceremony
Earlier this week, I went to the closing ceremony of the Knife Angel sculpture in Crewe.
The sculpture is made up of over 100,000 knives that have been taken off the streets, and it now travels around the country - reminding people of the dangers of knife crime.
We all heard from Rob and Joanna, the parents of Oliver Freckleton - who was tragically murdered in 2021. It was a solemn reminder of the devastation caused by violence.
It was also great to come together cross-party to support this event.
Operation Ice Cream
It was great to see the BFBS TV in Parliament last week - along with one of Crewe's own Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Vans!
The BFBS are a registered charity that, for 80 years, has broadcasted to British Armed Forces and their families overseas. Their work allows our brave servicemen and women to have access to entertainment wherever they are in the world.
The relationship with Whitby Morrison began in 2010 when they offered to take an ice cream van into Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. While this, in the end, wasn't feasible, they were instead able to provide free ice cream to the families of those deployed. 'Operation Ice Cream' has since been a huge success, and they are now on their 4th ice cream van, which goes to military events around the UK and Germany.
The BFBS is celebrating their 80th anniversary - you can fund more about their work here: https://www.bfbs.com/
Local Charity - Smile Group
In Parliament last week, I met with Natalie and Ruth from local charity Smile Group. The charity receives funding from Malteasers 'Lighten the Load' campaign, which aims to shed light on the challenges that working mums face.
The Smile Group was set up by Natalie and Ruth in 2011 and supports parents across Cheshire who suffer from perinatal mental illness through support groups and therapies.
Thank you for all of your fantastic work!
Find out more here: https://smilegroup.org.uk/
Crackdown on Child Vape Use
Selling vapes to under 18's is illegal - but more and more are falling into the hands of children. The Government has announced it will crack down on this alarming rise by:
- Closing a loophole which allows retailers to provide children with free samples of vapes.
- Launching a review into banning 'nicotine-free' vapes for those under 18's.
- Introduce education in schools about the harms of vaping and dedicated school police liaison officers to keep illegal vapes out of school.
- Reviewing the marketing and promotion of vapes.
While vapes can be an effective tool for smokers trying to quit, it is important that non-smokers - particularly children - are not encouraged to take it up.
Click here to find out more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/no-more-free-vapes-for-kids
Radio 5 Live
Yesterday, I appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live on a MP's panel where we discussed topics such as disruptive protests, cost of living and regulations on vaping.
Take a listen above.
Traffic Report
The following are road closures for the week ahead as reported by Cheshire East.
Middlewich Road, Crewe (Between Pyms Lane and B5076) - Until 30th June
Prunus Road, Crewe - until 21st July
Flag Lane, Crewe (Between Bridle Road and Castle Street) - Until 7th August
Delamere Street, Crewe (Between Flag Lane and St Mary's Street) - Until 7th August
Mill Lane, Oakhanger - Until 31st October