Coal mining was a critical cornerstone of the industrial revolution from the mid-eighteenth century, and underpinned wealth creation in the UK and beyond. Areas including Durham, Northumberland, and other parts of the UK had a rich mining heritage that spanned over two centuries of coal production. In the 1980s however, mining communities in the UK were devastated by pit closures and redundancies, in a drawn-out process that continued until the last deep colliery closed in 2015. With this backdrop, it is so positive that recent developments to exploit the geothermal energy in abandoned, water-flooded coal mines can bring positive economic benefits once again to former mining communities.