Since its foundation in 2001, Smit has held a long term goal to make the Eden Project carbon-neutral
Sir Tim Smit is well known for his commitment to green living.
Co-founder of the world-famous Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, the Dutch-born British businessman founded the £80m (US$103.5m) attraction, which promotes biodiversity and sustainability with its indoor rainforest, housed inside two giant biomes.
After gaining EU funding, he’s taking that commitment one step further, with plans to not only transform the Eden Project by building a geothermal energy plant, but also for the attraction to act as a sustainability blueprint for the entire planet.
“We’ve been waiting 10 years to be able to say it’s full steam ahead for the Eden Project’s energy scheme,” says Smit. “We’ve always known that beneath our feet – at the centre of the earth – it’s hot.”
Green ambitions Described by Smit as the biggest leap forward for Eden since it opened in 2001, the project will eventually provide clean and renewable energy to power the entire Eden Project site, as well as local businesses and the wider community.
The plan will see a narrow 25cm well drilled 4.5km (2.8mi) down through the Earth’s surface to investigate temperature and permeability. Once functioning, cold water will be pumped underground, where it will pick up heat from the rocks before being pumped back to the surface at a temperature of around 180°C, running through a turbine to generate electricity, creating a completely sustainable energy source for the attraction.
“Every schoolchild knows that the middle of the world is a molten lump,” says Smit. “The heat is only just below us.
What we’re going to do is start drilling in Q2 2020 and we hope that within 18 months, Eden will be completely carbon neutral and we’ll be powering everything around us from renewable sources.”
Eden has teamed with EGS Energy for the potentially world-changing plan, after securing £16.8m (US$21.8m) in funding from a mix of private and public sources, including £9.9m (US$12.8m) from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), £1.4m (US$1.8m) from Cornwall Council and £5.5m (US$7.1m) from institutional investors.
“This is a gamechanger of the biggest kind,” says Smit. “All over the world, you see protests over the fact that we are not mediating our carbon use.
“Some argue that wind and solar energy aren’t enough because the wind doesn’t blow all the time and the sun doesn’t shine at night, but deep geothermal power gives you heat 24/7 and can level out the period when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. For the first time, a jigsaw of completely deliverable renewable energy is available for the world to enable us to go completely carbon-neutral.”
Powering Cornwall Once drilled, the first well will supply a district heating system for Eden’s biomes, offices and greenhouses. It will pave the way for the second phase – another 4.5km well and an electricity plant. Completing the second phase will mean that Eden will be generating sufficient renewable energy to become carbon positive by 2023 as well as aiming to be able to provide heat and power for the local area – 7,000 homes. Smit says the plans represent the chance to “spark an energy revolution”.
“We have the green light and the funding to start drilling and we’re determined to make this technology work,” says Smit. “We want to work with others all over the world – sharing knowledge and encouraging the change as fast as is humanly possible.”
To deliver the plan, a new company, Eden Geothermal Limited (EGL) has been formed. This company is made up of the Eden Project, geothermal development group EGS Energy, and geothermal developer and drilling advisor BESTEC UK.
“Once up and running, our plant will provide more than enough renewable electricity and heat for the whole site, as well as for the local area,” says Smit. “We’ll be drilling for good energy rather than bad.
“It’s so exciting for us that the mining tradition of Cornwall is being put to use to create a renewable future.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 4
Interview: Yves Pépin
A man whose spectaculars have been
witnessed by billions, Yves Pépin
speaks about his trail-blazing career
Rides: Supersonic
We take a look at some of the most
significant ride openings around the world
Preview: Rulantica Rising
Germany’s top theme park is about to
launch a €180m addition with the opening of its long-awaited second
gate. Attractions Management looks
at Rulantica and how the new
waterpark addition is taking shape
Theme Parks: Parisian Magic
Daniel Delcourt and David Wilson
share more about Disney’s €2bn
expansion of Disneyland Paris
Promotional feature: Simworx Ltd
CEO, Terry Monkton, takes
us through the development of two unique projects, from conception to creation
Waterparks: Water World
Debrecen in Hungary is gaining an iconic
new addition – a US$30.1m waterpark
Promotional feature: WhiteWater
WhiteWater’s Una deBoer tells us
how the company maintains elite safety standards
in waterparks and the steps operators can take
to improve safety across the entire industry
Operations: Disaster Management
What can be learned from the experiences
of those unfortunate operators who have
had to react when disaster strikes?
Exhibitions: World Tour
Kath Hudson looks at the potential of the
pop-up and touring exhibition market
Since its foundation in 2001, Smit has held a long term goal to make the Eden Project carbon-neutral
Sir Tim Smit is well known for his commitment to green living.
Co-founder of the world-famous Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, the Dutch-born British businessman founded the £80m (US$103.5m) attraction, which promotes biodiversity and sustainability with its indoor rainforest, housed inside two giant biomes.
After gaining EU funding, he’s taking that commitment one step further, with plans to not only transform the Eden Project by building a geothermal energy plant, but also for the attraction to act as a sustainability blueprint for the entire planet.
“We’ve been waiting 10 years to be able to say it’s full steam ahead for the Eden Project’s energy scheme,” says Smit. “We’ve always known that beneath our feet – at the centre of the earth – it’s hot.”
Green ambitions Described by Smit as the biggest leap forward for Eden since it opened in 2001, the project will eventually provide clean and renewable energy to power the entire Eden Project site, as well as local businesses and the wider community.
The plan will see a narrow 25cm well drilled 4.5km (2.8mi) down through the Earth’s surface to investigate temperature and permeability. Once functioning, cold water will be pumped underground, where it will pick up heat from the rocks before being pumped back to the surface at a temperature of around 180°C, running through a turbine to generate electricity, creating a completely sustainable energy source for the attraction.
“Every schoolchild knows that the middle of the world is a molten lump,” says Smit. “The heat is only just below us.
What we’re going to do is start drilling in Q2 2020 and we hope that within 18 months, Eden will be completely carbon neutral and we’ll be powering everything around us from renewable sources.”
Eden has teamed with EGS Energy for the potentially world-changing plan, after securing £16.8m (US$21.8m) in funding from a mix of private and public sources, including £9.9m (US$12.8m) from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), £1.4m (US$1.8m) from Cornwall Council and £5.5m (US$7.1m) from institutional investors.
“This is a gamechanger of the biggest kind,” says Smit. “All over the world, you see protests over the fact that we are not mediating our carbon use.
“Some argue that wind and solar energy aren’t enough because the wind doesn’t blow all the time and the sun doesn’t shine at night, but deep geothermal power gives you heat 24/7 and can level out the period when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. For the first time, a jigsaw of completely deliverable renewable energy is available for the world to enable us to go completely carbon-neutral.”
Powering Cornwall Once drilled, the first well will supply a district heating system for Eden’s biomes, offices and greenhouses. It will pave the way for the second phase – another 4.5km well and an electricity plant. Completing the second phase will mean that Eden will be generating sufficient renewable energy to become carbon positive by 2023 as well as aiming to be able to provide heat and power for the local area – 7,000 homes. Smit says the plans represent the chance to “spark an energy revolution”.
“We have the green light and the funding to start drilling and we’re determined to make this technology work,” says Smit. “We want to work with others all over the world – sharing knowledge and encouraging the change as fast as is humanly possible.”
To deliver the plan, a new company, Eden Geothermal Limited (EGL) has been formed. This company is made up of the Eden Project, geothermal development group EGS Energy, and geothermal developer and drilling advisor BESTEC UK.
“Once up and running, our plant will provide more than enough renewable electricity and heat for the whole site, as well as for the local area,” says Smit. “We’ll be drilling for good energy rather than bad.
“It’s so exciting for us that the mining tradition of Cornwall is being put to use to create a renewable future.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 4
Interview: Yves Pépin
A man whose spectaculars have been
witnessed by billions, Yves Pépin
speaks about his trail-blazing career
Rides: Supersonic
We take a look at some of the most
significant ride openings around the world
Preview: Rulantica Rising
Germany’s top theme park is about to
launch a €180m addition with the opening of its long-awaited second
gate. Attractions Management looks
at Rulantica and how the new
waterpark addition is taking shape
Theme Parks: Parisian Magic
Daniel Delcourt and David Wilson
share more about Disney’s €2bn
expansion of Disneyland Paris
Promotional feature: Simworx Ltd
CEO, Terry Monkton, takes
us through the development of two unique projects, from conception to creation
Waterparks: Water World
Debrecen in Hungary is gaining an iconic
new addition – a US$30.1m waterpark
Promotional feature: WhiteWater
WhiteWater’s Una deBoer tells us
how the company maintains elite safety standards
in waterparks and the steps operators can take
to improve safety across the entire industry
Operations: Disaster Management
What can be learned from the experiences
of those unfortunate operators who have
had to react when disaster strikes?
Exhibitions: World Tour
Kath Hudson looks at the potential of the
pop-up and touring exhibition market
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
