The UK Geoenergy Observatories (UKGEOS) project, commissioned by NERC, follows the Government's 2014 announcement that it would allocate £31 million to create world-class, subsurface energy-research test centres to develop home grown energy supplies in the UK and create world-class subsurface research expertise in the UK. This investment will place the UK at the forefront of a multi-billion pound market globally and provide independent evidence for better regulation and public confidence in this area.