DISUSED mines could help fuel the journey to net zero in Wales as flood water from a former pit is used as a renewable source of heating in Carmarthenshire.

Heat pump manufacturer Nick Salini told BBC Wales today that he used floodwater from a disused mine to heat his Ammanford heat pump factory.

The Westminster government-funded Innovate UK provided the money for the Carmarthenshire project.

The Welsh government said it recognised the role mines in Wales could play in the nation’s journey to net zero and published a mine water heat opportunity map last year.

The publicly owned energy company for Wales, Ynni Cymru, “has launched a £10 million fund for smart local energy systems to help develop novel energy projects,” a Welsh government spokesperson said.

The Mining Remediation Authority has delivered similar heating projects from coal mines in north-east England and believes it can do the same for Wales, where a quarter of the population live near former pits.