Britain’s industrial heartlands are sitting on a source of under-utilised power – a vast reservoir of heat beneath their feet that could drive jobs, industry and climate progress for decades. Professor Jon Gluyas, board member of the National Geothermal Centre (NGC), sets out how tapping this resource could transform regional economies, using the skills honed in coal, steel and oil to fuel a new era of clean, secure energy.
Geothermal energy is emerging as a powerhouse in the UK’s green transition, offering regions with industrial legacies – like the North-East and notably Aberdeen – a genuine shot at renewal.
It promises a constant, homegrown source of clean energy that could heat and cool industrial facilities, homes and whole communities. More than that, it has the potential to be an engine for local economic recovery, helping restore pride, stability and jobs in places that have struggled as traditional industries have declined.
Aberdeen, long celebrated as the UK’s oil and gas capital, has seen its economy and identity shaped by energy. The city is currently facing the realities of contraction in oil and gas, prompting an urgent conversation about what comes next. This challenge is not unique to Aberdeen – it is playing out across former industrial strongholds throughout Britain – but the city’s skills base and energy expertise make it a prime example of how geothermal could drive a new chapter.
Advances in drilling and geoscience mean resources once thought out of reach are now accessible, even in geologically calm regions such as the north-east are perfectly suited to geothermal energy development. This is where the NHS Grampian geothermal project comes in. It shows how geothermal energy can slot straight into public infrastructure, delivering social value while creating demand for specialist skills.
NHS Grampian, working with TownRock Energy, is running a feasibility study on heating hospitals and other public facilities with deep geothermal energy. Supported by the Scottish Government, the project aims to cut emissions and guard against rising energy costs. Crucially, it leans heavily on the same disciplines that were honed in North Sea oil and gas – subsurface engineering, drilling, environmental planning – proving that the transition to renewables can build on, rather than replace, existing expertise.
A further example of this skills crossover is a recent partnership between Aberdeen training leader 3t and Robert Gordon University. Together, they have re-engineered the DrillSIM:5000 – a high‑tech simulator first built for offshore drilling – into the UK’s first geothermal training and modelling platform. By channelling decades of North Sea expertise into a new discipline, it is equipping the local workforce for the next wave of clean‑energy projects while accelerating the region’s readiness to deliver geothermal at scale.
The scale of opportunity extends beyond one city. The British Geological Survey has identified several “geological super regions” across the UK that are well placed to attract billions in investment and create tens of thousands of jobs. According to the NGC’s own research, geothermal could deliver more than 50,000 direct jobs nationwide by 2050.
Every major installation has knock-on effects for local economies. Manufacturing, logistics and professional services all benefit from the contracts and supply chain activity generated by geothermal builds. When a region like Aberdeen secures such a project, the economic ripple carries far beyond the immediate technical workforce, reaching high streets, small businesses and community services.
Realising this potential will require strong political commitment at both national and devolved levels, including targeted incentives and smart regulation to de-risk early-stage projects. Other countries, such as the Netherlands and Germany, have shown how effective incentives and long-term planning can help bring geothermal energy into the mainstream. In the UK, public-sector-led initiatives like the NHS Grampian scheme could play a similarly catalytic role, attracting commercial investment and signalling growing confidence in the sector’s future.
The lesson from Aberdeen is that regeneration is possible – even after profound industrial change – when expertise, investment and ambition align. Geothermal is not a footnote in the clean energy transition; it is a direct path to building resilient regional economies that contribute to net zero while safeguarding skilled employment.
The wells reach deep below ground, but the benefits surface in plain view; steady jobs, new investment and renewed confidence. Aberdeen, our national energy capital, is reinventing itself – a lead that many more communities across the UK could follow.
