Exergy International, Geothermal Engineering Sign Agreement for 3 MWe ORC Power Plant

Exergy International srl and Geothermal Engineering Ltd. (GEL) signed a contract for the supply of a 3-MWe gross capacity organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power plant at the United Downs site. By late 2024, the deep geothermal project is expected to deliver around 3 MWe of baseload renewable electricity and up to 10 MWth of zero-carbon heat.

“We are excited to embark on this journey with GEL,” said Luca Pozzoni, General Manager of Exergy International. “The United Downs project will be a milestone in the development of the geothermal industry in the United Kingdom and will give us the valuable opportunity to contribute with our technology and expertise to kick-starting geothermal power generation in the country. Under a structured long-term agreement with GEL, we will be able to partner for the development of future geothermal initiatives to unlock Europe’s largely untapped geothermal potential and support the decarbonization of our energy systems.”

Exergy, a provider of ORC power plants, will provide the design and engineering of the ORC system, the manufacturing of the equipment, and the erection of the power plant. The company’s technology will utilize the radial outflow turbine to produce electricity by exploiting the heat of the geothermal fluid. The air-cooled condensing system avoids water consumption, and the closed-loop power plant will not release any vapor into the atmosphere. Once in operation, the installation will save more than 6,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year compared to the production of conventional fossil fuel power.

“Geothermal heat is an untapped renewable resource with the potential to provide huge amounts of energy-efficient and carbon-free electricity and heat,” said Ryan Law, CEO of Geothermal Engineering Ltd. “Exergy is well known globally for their competence in the binary geothermal power sector, and we are very pleased to be working with them on this landmark project in Cornwall. Our long-term agreement with Exergy will also enable us to develop a number of additional projects both in the United Kingdom and abroad.”