Award

IMPACT: Investigating Mine Potential for Cooling and Thermal storage

MINING REMEDIATION AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

11 Feb 2026 at 10:02

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Mining Remediation Authority has completed the procurement process titled "IMPACT: Investigating Mine Potential for Cooling and Thermal Storage," which falls under the industry category of research and experimental development services. This project involved a direct award to the British Geological Survey (BGS), a component of UK Research and Innovation, based in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. The award was justified by technical reasons, as BGS uniquely provides access to the relevant mine workings observatory in Glasgow. The services agreement, valued at £283,420.86, begins on 20 February 2026 and potentially extends until 30 April 2026. This contract aligns with the authority's vision for its Business Plan 2032 and thermal energy storage within mine workings.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in environmental technology and thermal energy research and development. Companies with expertise in sustainable energy solutions and underground research facilities would find themselves well-suited to pursue similar projects. The exclusive nature of this facility invites innovation in the mining and thermal sector, allowing businesses to leverage cutting-edge science to contribute toward decarbonising heat sources. Additionally, the possibility of renewal based on research outcomes offers sustained business growth for committed providers able to deliver unique technological capabilities. Businesses that can offer specialised knowledge in thermal storage and possess advanced research infrastructure stand to benefit greatly from such tenders.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

IMPACT: Investigating Mine Potential for Cooling and Thermal storage

Notice Description

We will explore the technical possibilities and challenges of cooling and thermal energy storage in mine workings by discharging warm water into mine workings at the BGS UKGOES site in Glasgow. Thermal storage in mine workings is part of our Business Plan 2032 vision and Mine Water Heat Framework and is vital to understand if we want to unlock mine water heat advisory services and deliver value to coalfield communities. Thermal energy storage will be a vital technology in decarbonising heat and making net zero a reality. Underground coal mine workings could be an important thermal store for a number of sources including excess heat from data centres and for balancing heating networks. To overcome these challenges, we want to undertake the mine heat storage experiment at the British Geological Survey (BGS) owned mine workings 'observatory' in Glasgow. This is a unique research facility designed for investigating this shallow, low-temperature, mine-water heat energy and potential heat storage resources. It is fully constructed and ready to use and it has all the permits, licences and equipment in place to test heat storage. It is the only place in the UK that has suitable infrastructure to enable us to undertake this research. Scope of work This project requires BGS to manage, co-design, undertake and report on a mine heat thermal storage experiment at their Geoenergy Observatory in Glasgow. The exact parameters of the experiment will be defined in collaboration with the MRA. BGS will collect, process and analyse samples, details of which will be confirmed prior to start date. The outputs will include summary reports, produced by BGS with MRA contribution on the works undertaken and data packages including all the data collected at the Observatory during the experiment, which the Mining Remediation Authority will publish as an open access dataset. The IPR of new data will remain the property of the MRA.

Procurement Information

In accordance with the Procurement Act 2023, the need for a specialist provider is justified where the goods or services required can only be supplied by a single supplier due to their unique capabilities-in this case, access to the BGS mine workings observatory. The requester has confirmed that the market has been reviewed. The UKGEOS observatory in Glasgow is a unique research facility and there is nowhere else in the UK that allows experiments to be undertaken in fully monitored mine workings. The technical expertise of BGS staff is also instrumental to obtaining and collecting the data during the experiment, and no one else would be able to provide the same service. The Procurement Act 2023 consolidates the grounds for making a direct award, which may be necessary where unique opportunities exist. Specifically, a direct award can be justified for reasons such as technical specifications, exclusive rights, or other unique circumstances. In this instance, the exclusive and special nature of the working environment, forefront of innovation and data, combined with the lack of market competition, supports proceeding without a competitive tender process.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-064d6f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012227-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73100000 - Research and experimental development services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£236,184 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Feb 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
11 Feb 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
20 Feb 2026 - 31 Mar 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MINING REMEDIATION AUTHORITY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@coal.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Postcode
NG18 4RG
Post Town
Nottingham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF15 North Nottinghamshire
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Mansfield
Electoral Ward
Berry Hill
Westminster Constituency
Mansfield

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (BGS) A COMPONENT OF UK RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (UKRI

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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