North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers

30/03/2026

Our free NEIMME Lecture on the 4th of June is given by Fraser Gardiner of Aberdeen Minerals on UK Critical Metal Exploration: A North East Scotland Case Study.

Join us in-person at 6pm in central Newcastle👉

This talk will outline the Arthrath Project and demonstrate the latest deposit models, research collaborations and exploration technology.

30/03/2026

Our free NEIMME Lecture on the 28th of May is given by Geoff Horseman on the engineering behind the K-Class Submarines (aka the Kalamity Class), what went wrong, and the lessons learned.

Join us in-person at 6pm in central Newcastle👉

This lecture will tell the story of the K Class submarine; its design issues, the lessons learned and remembering the many men who perished.

30/03/2026

Our free NEIMME Lecture on the 14th of May is given by Prof Stuart Jones of Durham University on Subsurface Voids and the Implications for Shallow Coal Mine Geothermal.

Join us in-person at 6pm in central Newcastle👉

This talk will cover research into the permeabilities and porosities used for modelling geothermal prospects in former coal mine workings

30/03/2026

Our free NEIMME International Lecture on the 30th of April is given by Margus Evart and Chris Davies on the construction of Rail Baltica Estonia: Geotechnical Conditions and Mineral Materials!

Join us in-person at 6pm in central Newcastle👉

Rail Baltica is a major transnational railway extending over 800 km across the Baltic States; this lecture will focus on Estonia.

30/03/2026

Our free NEIMME Lecture on the 16th of April is given by Phil Kirkland on the The History, Engineering and Maintenance of the Tyne and Wear Metro!

Join us in-person at 6pm in central Newcastle👉

This talk will cover the history and construction of the Tyne and Wear Metro and some of the innovative techniques and equipment used.

26/10/2025

Our free NEIMME Lecture on the 13th of November is given by Sean Stokoe of National Grid on the onshore and offshore aspects of the Great Grid Upgrade! Come along and find out more about this major overhaul of UK transmission infrastructure.

Join us in-person only at 6pm in central Newcastle👉

The Great Grid Upgrade is a major overhaul of the on- and off-shore grid to bring new energy sources online, come along and find out more!

22/10/2025

Don't miss our free October NEIMME lecture on the 23rd of October at 6pm given by David Banks of Glasgow University on the development of the ground source heat pump for early mineshaft construction and how Charles Parsons proposed its use for the Hellfire Exploration project to access geothermal power.

Join us in-person only at 6pm:

The ground source heat pump was developed in 1862, leading Charles Parsons to propose the 12 mile deep Hellfire Exploration geothermal shaft

05/09/2025

Don't miss our Annual NEIMME Symposium covering critical metal exploration, geotechnical engineering, process and fire safety, and the future of nuclear and sustainable energy in the North East. More info and sign-up details at👉 https://mininginstitute.org.uk/neimme-annual-dinner-and-symposium-2025/

Speakers include:
Aberdeen Minerals – Fraser Gardiner – Ni, Cu, Co Exploration in Scotland
Anglo American – Phillipa Starmer – Woodsmith Mine Engineering
Finch Consulting Ltd. – Richard Hoyle – Principles for Safe, Compliant, and Resilient Machinery and Process Lifecycles.
Institute of Fire Engineers – Peter Wilkinson – Fire Safety
Nuclear Institute – Phillip Vaughan – Future of Nuclear in the North East
Siemens – Dan Taylor – Overview of Siemens Energy

04/04/2025

Our free NEIMME Lecture on the 10th of April is given by Dr Ana Santos of Natural History Museum, London on bioleaching valuable metals like Cu, Au, and Critical Metals from ores and waste materials, plus their role in remediation of industrial sites.

To join us see 👉

This lecture delves into the world of bioleaching, where bacteria, archaea, and fungi extract valuable metals from ores and wastes.

07/02/2025

Our free NEIMME Lecture on the 13th of February covers the engineering, construction and maintenance of the Rutland Water transfer tunnel, a wedge block tunnel used for the extraction and pumping of water to the reservoir.

To join us in person see👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-rutland-water-raw-water-transfer-tunnel-tickets-1237658713529

Watch live, 6pm, 13th February👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbuzv3dzIa4

An overview of the system to enable extraction and then pumping from the Rivers Nene and Welland to Rutland Water Reservoir for storage.

21/01/2025

Our free January NEIMME Lecture on 'Battery Metals and the Race to Net Zero' given by Dr Nick Gardiner of
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews! This public lecture will take place at Neville Hall on the 23rd of January at 6pm.

The transition to a renewable energy system for the generation, transmission, and storage of electricity, requires an unprecedented supply of key metals, in particular so-called “battery metals” tin, lithium, tungsten, and tantalum. These metals are primarily sourced from magmatic-hydrothermal deposits, most notably small-scale deposits known as pegmatites. Here, we discuss how in a global mining context these battery metals are relatively minor, with a fragile supply pipeline. We discuss the current rush for lithium, and focus on current research on lithium pegmatites: how new geochemical tools can help shed light on the processes of mineralization, to help us build better models for the formation and discovery of these enigmatic deposits.

To join us in person see👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/battery-metals-and-the-race-to-net-zero-tickets-1099164142539

Watch live, 6pm 23rd January👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qStMlw5I0to

This talk will cover how in a global mining context battery metals are relatively minor with a fragile supply pipeline and how to solve it.