Gateshead, Islington and Silvertown Quays share £9.8m heat network grant
Last three awards to fund low-carbon heating and cut emissions announced under successful Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) delivered by Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management
Three communities will soon benefit from cleaner, more efficient energy thanks to a grant totalling £9.8m from HNIP, greatly helping local authorities to meet their climate goals and net-zero targets.
Minewater Heat Pump in Gateshead, photo courtesy of Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management
Since it was launched in 2018, HNIP has provided some £304m in grants and loads to support the development of heat works in communities across England and Wales, generating an estimated 700 GWh of low-carbon heat and cutting emissions by the equivalent of 81,000 tonnes of carbon. The scheme closed to applications in 2022 but the last three successful applicants have just been announced.
Gateshead Council has been awarded £2.9m from HNIP to extend the existing Gateshead District Energy Scheme, which uses geothermal heat from a 6MW mine water heat pump. The council had already received HNIP money to extend the network to supply four council buildings, a care home and up to 1,250 new private homes.
The new funding will enable a further 1,250 new homes to be connected. Some 550 council homes, a care facility and a church will also be connected thanks to the installation of further pipework. This will all help the council come close to its aim of connecting 15,000 council homes to the network by 2030.
Jim Gillon, Service Director for Energy and Design at Gateshead Council, says: ‘We are proud of the success our heat network has achieved to date, providing low-carbon heat to over 300 high-rise homes and more than 20 private and public-sector buildings. Now this HNIP funding has given us the opportunity to expand the network further, to an existing low-rise housing estate. Soon all these new residents will be getting the benefits of being part of our heat network.’
Islington Council had received £678,000 to expand its Bunhill Heat and Power Network (BHPN), which was first launched in 2012 and harnesses waste heat from local London Underground stations. The new funding provided will be used to extend the network to the City Forum, comprising 1,000 homes, a retail space, hotel and new council-owned block of 38 flats. It is estimated that the proposed new connections will save the equivalent of 1,100 tonnes of carbon each year.
The Silvertown Quays development in East London has been awarded £6.3m to develop an innovative heat network using E.ON’s trademarked ‘ectogrid’ technology. This feeds excess heat produced by individual buildings to alternative connections according to need, balancing heat and cooling in a way that drastically reduces energy consumption. The HNIP funding will support the construction of the network, installation of decentralised heat pumps and chillers, and connections to the network and smart tools.
Chris Norbury, Chief Executive of E.ON UK, says: ‘Silvertown is a huge milestone for UK developments as this is the first ectogrid for Britain. It’s fantastic we can bring this to life in such an iconic redevelopment area as the Royal Docks. This is yet another example of E.ON stepping up as playmaker in the energy transition and investing at scale in the UK’s energy future.’
Of the overall initiative, Ken Hunnisett, Programme Director for Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management, adds: ‘During four extraordinary years, the HNIP unlocked projects of a scale and variety that could hardly have been imagined when it launched in 2018. It’s testament to the ambition and determination of the fund’s beneficiaries and the agility and capacity of a growing industry that many of those investee networks are already delivering affordable, low carbon heating and cooling to the communities they serve. Today’s announcement is an opportunity to shine a light on the unique role heat networks play in harnessing different sources of locally occurring waste or renewable heat and contributing to the UK’s net zero future in the most cost-effective way.’
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