University of Aberdeen to Drill Scotland’s First Deep Geothermal Test Borehole in £1 Million UKRI-Funded Pilot
By: Robert Buluma
Published on – 9 December 2025
Big news from the Granite City: the University of Aberdeen has just been awarded £1 million by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to launch the Aberdeen Geothermal Feasibility Pilot (AGFP) the most ambitious city-scale geothermal exploration project ever undertaken in Scotland.
If planning permission is granted, the university will drill an instrumented research borehole to over 500 metres depth right on the historic King’s College campus in Old Aberdeen. This will be the first time anyone has collected direct, in-field temperature, geological, and hydrological data from Aberdeen’s famous granite basement the same hot granite that has been quietly sitting under the city for 400 million years.
Why Aberdeen + Granite = Geothermal Gold
Granite is radioactive (tiny amounts of uranium and thorium), which means it generates heat as those elements decay. In Aberdeen, the granite is unusually close to the surface and, according to earlier desk studies, could be hot enough at relatively shallow depths to provide low-carbon heat for homes, university buildings, hospitals, and district heating networks.
Until now, however, no one has actually stuck a thermometer down there to find out.
Two clever techniques in one project
1. The 500 m+ borehole
Will give direct measurements of temperature gradient, rock properties, groundwater flow, and heat-flow rates.
2. City-wide passive seismic survey
Over 100 small seismic nodes will be buried around Aberdeen for 1–2 months, listening to ambient “noise” from waves, wind, and traffic. This will create a new 3D model of the subsurface down to 5 km across the entire city essentially mapping where the hottest, most permeable granite is located.
Combine the two datasets and you suddenly have a real geothermal resource map for Aberdeen.
More than just science
The project is deliberately designed with the Just Transition in mind:
Future phases (pending additional funding) will map heat poverty hotspots and prioritise communities that need affordable heating most.
Community engagement and skills programmes will be built in from the start.
All data will be open access, helping de-risk commercial projects not just in Aberdeen but in any granite-hosted area across the UK (Cornwall, Northern Ireland, and beyond).
As Professor Louise Heathwaite (UKRI-NERC) put it:
“This innovative project… could provide a blueprint for geothermal potential in granite formations… and enhance geothermal development across the UK.”
Who’s involved?
A seriously impressive consortium:
University of Aberdeen (Geosciences, Engineering, Estates, Just Transition Lab)
NHS Grampian
Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen Heat & Power
Robert Gordon University
British Geological Survey
University of Leeds, TU Delft, National Geothermal Centre, Net Zero Technology Centre
Multiple industry geothermal specialists
What happens next?
Planning application is being prepared now
Drilling targeted for 2026 if permission is granted
Passive seismic survey to follow
Results will be public and will directly feed into decisions about larger district-heating or even electricity-generating projects
Aberdeen already brands itself as Europe’s Energy Capital. With offshore wind, hydrogen, and now deep geothermal joining the mix, the city is making a serious play to become the Just Transition Capital as well.
This £1 million pilot is the crucial first step that could unlock decades of clean, local, baseload heat and prove that old granite can still keep a modern city warm.
Related: Scotland Breaks Ground: NHS Grampian and TownRock Energy Launch First Deep Geothermal Heating Plant
Source:Meta
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