B.A. Hydro Solutions Limited were appointed by Coca Cola Enterprises Limited [now known as Coca Cola European Partners] to investigate the potential to develop a new passive open loop ground source heating and cooling system to replace an existing system at their Sidcup site.

A Hydrogeological Assessment (HGA) established that an open loop system was feasible. Drilling was contracted and managed by B.A. Hydro Solutions Ltd and completed in 2013.

The geology reported in the HGA was confirmed as correct.  The interaction between new and old boreholes was demonstrated to be as modelled prior to drilling.

Coca Cola has been made and bottled at the Sidcup factory since 1961.  Early in the life of the factory two boreholes were drilled and used to abstract and re-inject groundwater from/into the Chalk.  The system was used for passive cooling of different processes throughout the factory.  Some water was used to produce drink products.

B. A. Hydro Solutions Limited have been working with Coca Cola and have secured variations to abstraction licenses at Sidcup and supported the management of the groundwater system since 2003/4. B. A. Hydro Solutions Limited identified that Coca Cola had problems with the old boreholes due to deterioration and their locations in the context of how the site is used in the present day.The design and specification for a new abstraction borehole and injection borehole was produced by B. A. Hydro Solutions Limited.  Experienced and competent contractors were shortlisted, the successful contractor was contracted by B. A. Hydro Solutions Limited to drill two 75-metre-deep boreholes with an internal diameter of 1200mm.  The holes were cased to ~20 metres below ground level with steel and left open hole below to their base.

The abstraction borehole was tested and demonstrated to be able to sustain the same yield as the original borehole.  The injection borehole was shown to be able to accommodate more water with a smaller rise in water levels/pressure than the original injection borehole.  Coca Cola were thus able to shift their passive heating and cooling load onto the new boreholes from the old system, retaining the latter as a backup system.

The system provides passive heating and cooling, with some active heating and cooling with a combined total load in the order of 5MW.  The boreholes are pumped and re-injected at a rate of almost 60 litres a second.  The radius of influence of the boreholes is very small with no impact from the injection borehole observed beyond 20 metres of the borehole.  The project was delivered on time and budget to the satisfaction of Coca Cola both in Sidcup and at their head office in Atlanta.