In Scotland, Vattenfall Heat UK, a subsidiary of Sweden-headed energy utility major Vattenfall AB has announced that it has been selected by Midlothian Council as its energy partner in a 50/50 joint venture set to drive the shift towards low carbon living in the region.
The partnership’s first project will be the installation of an innovative district heating network that will provide heat to new homes at the Shawfair development with a carbon saving of 75 percent when compared with conventional gas boiler heating.
The low-temperature system, expected to be operational in 2021, will bring fourth-generation heat network technology to Scotland – building on Vattenfall’s experience in constructing and operating some of Europe’s fastest-growing heat networks in cities such as Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
We’re delighted to have been selected by Midlothian Council for this long-term energy partnership that puts low carbon, fossil-free living front and centre of its ambition. This partnership will serve as a platform for further growth in low-carbon energy solutions in Scotland and the United Kingdom. Any organisation or company serious about reaching net-zero has low carbon heating at the top of its to-do list, and this energy partnership is no different, said Tuomo Hatakka, Senior Vice President Business Area Heat, Vattenfall.
Low-temperature heat networks bring with them many benefits – including lower costs, maintenance, and an ability to adapt to take heat from many sources of waste heat such as wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and data centres.
Midlothian is blessed with an abundance of local, low carbon heat potential which means that we can begin the partnership’s work with the installation of a state-of-the-art network that will deliver affordable, low carbon heating to local homes at the Shawfair development. The project provides a model to the kind of progress that can be achieved right now through the deployment of innovative, low carbon district heating networks in the tough challenge of decarbonising the UK’s heating supply, said Mike Reynolds, Managing Director of Vattenfall Heat UK.
Residual heat from FCC Millerhill EfW plant
The heat feeding the network will be sourced from waste heat produced by FCC’s Millerhill energy-from-waste (EfW) and recycling plant in Edinburgh and will be fed through a network of pipes to local homes. The partnership will also begin actively exploring the potential of thermal storage and other local heat sources to enable the network to grow and expand across Midlothian and beyond.
We’re very excited to be working with Vattenfall to set up an energy services company for innovative new projects benefitting local residents and businesses in the area and setting us well on our way to a carbon-neutral future. Working closely on our first project with Shawfair LLP, the local developer, and FCC Environment, our existing Zero Waste Contractor, we look forward to delivering another major pathfinding project for Scotland, said Councillor Russell Imrie ,Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development.
This first GBP20 million (≈ EUR 23.7 million) project will benefit from the financial support of up to GBP7.3 million (≈ EUR 8.6 million) from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transformation Project, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The scheme will also benefit from a close working relationship on the project with Scottish Futures Trust.
