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9th November 2026

Seaham Garden Village officially a “Gamechanger” after BE-ST Awards win

The new energy centre at Seaham Garden Village is harnessing Dawdon Colliery’s mining heritage to provide low-carbon heat for 750 new homes.

Seaham Garden Village has been named as the winner in the Gamechanger category at the 2026 BE-ST Accelerate to Net Zero Awards.

The scheme is expected to save 505 tonnes of carbon each year and more than 20,000 tonnes over the network’s long-term lifecycle.

The project takes heat from mine water already being pumped to the surface by the Dawdon Mine Water Treatment Scheme. The water is naturally between 18°C and 20°C, with its temperature boosted by a 733kW water-source heat pump before the heat is distributed through a heat network to 750 homes.

We're delighted that Seaham Garden Village has been recognised with the Gamechanger Award at the Accelerate to Zero Awards. The scheme shows what's possible when we put a former coalfield's mining legacy to work for the community, using warm water from our Dawdon mine water treatment scheme to provide clean, secure heat for hundreds of homes. It's a fantastic result for all involved, and I'd like to thank everyone across the project and partnership, for making it happen.

Andrew Simpson - Head of Innovation , Mining Remediation Authority
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The scheme takes its heat from the Dawdon Mine Water Treatment Scheme

Solution detail

Kieran Walsh, Regional Manager for Vital Energi, explains:

“This is a really special project because it continues the story of the North East’s mining heritage, giving the infrastructure at Dawdon Colliery a new purpose providing low-carbon heat for the surrounding area.

“We’re also acting as the long-term Energy Services Company, providing the heating and supporting customers, so we’re looking forward to a long-term relationship with these residents. This award is a fantastic way to begin that relationship.”

The scheme is believed to be the UK’s first large-scale mine water heat project to utilise an existing above-ground mine water treatment scheme and has been developed through a partnership between the Mining Remediation Authority, Karbon Homes, Durham County Council and Vital Energi.

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750 homes will now receive renewable heat from the mine water scheme.

Solution detail

Dawdon Colliery began producing coal in 1904 and operated for 85 years. After its closure, the mine workings gradually filled with a mixture of groundwater, rainwater and seawater. This water is now pumped from the flooded mine and treated by the Dawdon Mine Water Treatment Scheme to protect the local aquifer.

The project also demonstrates an approach that could potentially be replicated elsewhere. With the Mining Remediation Authority operating more than 80 mine water treatment schemes across the UK, Seaham Garden Village demonstrates how existing infrastructure could be given an additional role in providing low-carbon heat.