Gravitricity, an Edinburgh-based energy storage company, aims to use Europe’s deepest mine, found in a small Finnish town, as the setting for its gravity energy storage technology.

Currently a disused mine shaft in the remote Finnish community of Pyhäjärvi, Gravitricity hopes the transformation plans using its gravity energy storage technology could “offer new opportunities” for the local people.

The gravity battery, called GraviStore, operates on what can be described as a kinetic energy pully system – a heavy weight will be suspended down the mine shaft with cables and winches. When excess energy is generated from renewable sources, the heavy weight will be lifted to the top. It can then be released as needed, producing either large bursts of energy or a slow release of energy.

The depth of the mine shaft will enable the battery to generate even more energy, with Gravitricity estimating that the scheme would generate up to two megawatts of storage capacity. This energy would tied straight into the local electricity grid, benefiting Finnish power services.

To support the project, the local community has created a development company to promote many regeneration projects, including this one.

“The two organisations have now signed an agreement to transform a 530-metre-deep auxiliary shaft into a full-scale prototype of Gravitricity’s technology – and anticipate this could become Europe’s first GraviStore deployment,” a spokesperson for the Edinburgh company said.

The mine is 1,400 metres deep, and is Europe’s deepest zinc and copper mine, though the shaft is currently not in use. The mine will serve as the setting for a prototype to demonstrate the energy harnessing and generating power of Gravistore.

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“This project will demonstrate at full scale how our technology can offer reliable long-life energy storage that can capture and store energy during periods of low demand and release it rapidly when required,” said Martin Wright, an executive chairman at Gravitricity.

“This full-scale project will provide a pathway to other commercial projects and allow our solution to be embedded into mine decommissioning activities, offering a potential future for mines approaching the end of their original service life.”