Plans announced for the London’s first heat-from-waste network

The Combined Heat & Power Association (CHPA) reports that Southwark Council and Veolia Environmental Services have have announced plans to supply heating and hot water to parts of the borough generated through the South East London Combined Heat and Power energy recovery facility (SELCHP). (Click here or on the diagram below to take a virtual tour of the SELCHP facility)

The heating network will be the first of its kind in London and will mark the first time that the heating potential of the SELCHP facility has been fully realized since it was built in 1990s. The scheme represents an overall investment of £7 million and is forecast to be complete by the end of the year.

The pioneering scheme will provide sustainable and secure heating for the Southwark homes it serves and promises to deliver long term energy cost savings to residents. The scheme will run for 20 years, after which the council will decide whether to retain the scheme or revert back to the traditional supply of gas.

Since its inception, the SELCHP facility has generated electricity, which fed into the National Grid but until now, the extraction of heat, in the form of hot water that is created as part of the electricity generating process, has not been possible. The facility, which processes around 430,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year, will now have the scope to supply five local estates with low carbon heat.

Dr Tim Rotheray, Director of CHPA commented: “This scheme is a great example of the community benefitting directly from local energy production. It is vital that consumers benefit as we move to a lower carbon, less wasteful energy system and this scheme achieves precisely that. The SELCHP project is an excellent example of the types of local energy schemes that the Energy and Climate Change Committee have recommended that the Government promote through its report published today.”

Councillor Barrie Hargrove, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment, and Recycling said: “We are delighted to be pioneering such an innovative scheme which will undoubtedly bring about credible benefits not only to our local residents but to the country as a whole. Realizing the full potential of the SELCHP facility for the first time means that heat provision can be delivered in a cleaner and more cost effective way. As the first London borough to take such a positive step, we are signalling our strong commitment to the reduction of carbon emissions and keeping Southwark an environmentally friendly zone.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson commended Southwark on the innovative environmental scheme stating that: “It is fantastic that SELCHP will soon be providing low carbon, low cost heating to homes in South East London through a new heat network, something I am working hard to encourage more of across the capital. Local heat and power supplies not only save Londoners money and reduce carbon emissions but also help to provide London with a more secure, sustainable, cost-effective energy supply.”

Source: IDEA