A mine water heat network at Seaham Garden Village has gone live and completed commissioning, according to an announcement the Mining Remediation Authority published on 6 October 2026. The energy centre draws heat from naturally warm water at the authority's Dawdon treatment scheme and supplies around 750 homes, part of a wider 1,500-home development on Durham's heritage coast.

The project is a collaboration involving the Mining Remediation Authority, Karbon Homes, Esh Construction, Vital Energi and Durham County Council, with funding through the government's Heat Networks Investment Project. The authority estimates the scheme will save 2,600 tonnes of CO2 annually, which it says equates to nearly 65,000 tonnes avoided over 25 years. At Seaham, the existing treatment scheme protects drinking water while also supplying renewable heat.

The authority says an estimated 25% of Great Britain's homes and businesses sit above former coal mines, and that it operates more than 80 mine water treatment schemes, many of which could be adapted. The release describes the scheme as supporting the government's Plan for Change mission, including a goal of at least 95% clean power generation by 2030.