Vattenfall has secured the right to capture heat from the Cory Riverside Energy’s waste facility at Belvedere, and develop a heat network that could supply 10,500 local homes in London, rather than heat them with conventional gas or electric energy.

The project raises the real possibility that tens of thousands of properties could be provided with low-carbon heat via a wider area network, reducing carbon emissions by 80-90 per cent compared to using conventional gas boilers in each household.

Vattenfall Heat UK will work with Cory Riverside Energy on an application for funding from the Government’s Heat Networks Investment Project. Vattenfall will design the heat network and, if the project moves to the construction phase, lead the construction of the heat network infrastructure, operate the network, and supply and look after residential and commercial customers.

Heat networks supply heat from a central low or zero carbon energy source, such as waste heat or local generation, to homes or businesses through a network of underground pipes. This means there is no need for individual boilers or electric heaters in every building. The proposed network in East London could initially provide heat to 10,500 homes, however, the design will allow for thousands more properties to be added as they are constructed in the future, unlocking the potential for a much wider network.

Vattenfall’s vision is to create an East London Heat Network, extending approximately 30km across four London Boroughs (Greenwich, Bexley, Tower Hamlets and Newham). It will supply low and – ultimately - zero carbon heat to both existing properties and new developments by re-using heat that is currently being wasted. Individual developments would connect to the East London Heat Network as they are built. The entire project is estimated to be able to supply the equivalent of 75,000 homes, although in reality it would link up to residential, commercial, retail, and industrial buildings.

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