Andrew Briggs, Head of Sustainability and Energy at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
Ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and soaring oil prices have placed energy security, renewable generation and infrastructure high on the UK’s agenda, and both the public and private sector are investing in the transition from fossil fuels to create a more resilient, independent, carbon neutral, and prosperous climate.
Scaling the green energy transformation will require significant financing, development and beneficial, effective public and private partnerships. These developments are already taking place on the ground, and across the country, government entities and private companies are partnering to repurpose long-abandoned coal mine sites into clean energy hubs, providing a productive use for derelict wastelands, and a solution for generating affordable, sustainably-sourced energy locally. Former mine sites are highly suitable for large-scale renewable energy and digital infrastructure projects, as the areas covered are large and exposed, with access to essential infrastructure, such as transmission lines and roads. Research has found that transforming recently closed coal mines into solar energy plants could add almost 300GW of renewable energy by 2030.
Projects across the UK are beginning to demonstrate what this transformation looks like in practice. For example, in Stoke-on-Trent, the former Chatterley Whitfield Colliery, a disused coal mine, is set to become a state-of-the-art eco-park. Owned by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, the site comprises 10.5 hectares of former mining buildings and structures within a wider setting of a country park. This project aligns with the region’s wider strategy, and the Silicon Stoke Prospectus, which established the strategic vision and framework for making Stoke-on-Trent a digitally-advanced city and a future hub for clean tech and smart infrastructure investment.
The value proposition is twofold. Firstly, the site has substantial electricity grid headroom for digital developments. The city council, working with National Grid, has estimated that the grid has 50MW available quickly with a planned route through 100MW to 150MW being economically deliverable. This would enable rapid data centre rollout, driving digital business growth and diversification onsite, across the city and into North Staffordshire.
The second foundation will be the planned integrated renewable energy scheme. This includes a 10MW solar photovoltaic (PV) farm and a 49MW battery storage system. At its core is The Mine Energy Heat Project, which will recover low-grade geothermal heat from former mine workings and upgrade this through the application of heat pump technology to higher-grade heat. The scheme will recover low-grade mine heat and excess heat from digital infrastructure to also feed a city-wide District Heat Network (DHN).
In common with other local authorities, Stoke-on-Trent City Council is dealing with financial pressures linked to inflation, levels of demand for local services, and abnormally high energy prices. To address the global climate change crisis and significantly increase the region’s capacity to generate and supply local, commercially useful decarbonised energy, the Council aims to emerge as a trailblazer and use case for UK green energy innovation and digital connectivity. For example, Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Energy Strategy 2023-2033 is driving low-carbon energy generation capabilities and assets harnessed to achieve energy self-sufficiency, transforming its financial sustainability and becoming an influential beacon for decarbonisation.
The Chatterley Whitfield project has a significant role to play in achieving this goal, and the next phases of investment will look to simultaneously safeguard outstanding heritage while delivering a unique sustainable energy facility.
Increasingly, green energy projects will play a vital role in regional regeneration, offering economic renewal to communities and local people. For example, expanding regional renewable energy generation capacity will provide clear benefits to the local community, including lower energy bills due to the reduced costs associated with solar power, combined with predictable daily outputs. The development of the large site will also lead to more, well-paid jobs, and new training, skills and employment opportunities, particularly in green industries, for local people.
The transformation of sites like Chatterley Whitfield demonstrates what is possible when a joined-up approach is taken to energy, infrastructure and place-based regeneration. By combining renewable energy, digital capacity and innovative solutions, large scale projects can unlock financial, growth sustainability and energy benefits. Now, collaboration, investment and public and private partnerships need to be encouraged to realise the potential of the green energy transformation at scale. With the right support, former industrial landscapes can become the foundations of a more resilient, self-sufficient and sustainable energy system helping to power regional growth.
This article appeared in the July/August 2026 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.
