Working with property real estate company Greystar's Bermondsey Project development, the 25-year contract will help lower carbon emissions through a new district heating network. The aim is to save an estimated 1,524 tons of CO2 emissions a year compared to natural gas derived heat supplies.
The new district heating scheme marks another important step in decarbonizing domestic heat as almost a third of the final energy consumed in the UK is used as heat in the domestic, commercial and public sectors. District heating networks that harness the heat from the waste-fed electricity generation process represent an efficient, affordable and decarbonizing alternative to provide households with cleaner energy.
Due to start operating in May 2026, this infrastructure project aims to provide the heat with around 60% renewable content due to the biogenic component of the waste treated at SELCHP. As this system represents a low carbon solution compared to alternative supplies, it will also help to advance London's ongoing commitment to combat climate change by lowering the carbon footprint.
Veolia will design, construct, and commission the network, and be responsible for operation, maintenance, and lifecycle replacement. The system will be supplied with hot water from SELCHP, fed into the systems at 75oC, to distribute heat in the connected buildings and meet the thermal demands at each location. To ensure system resilience, the network will include an additional facility housing a back-up boiler installation.
John Abraham, Chief Operating Officer, Industrial, Water & Energy UK , Ireland & Nordics said, "This latest heat network will further advance the progress to reach the important net zero goals that protect the environment and lower climate change. …Veolia’s engineering solutions can make a real and lasting difference, help break the reliance on fossil fuels, deliver the essential energy to support communities, and address the issues of energy price volatility.
"This will make a significant difference to the people it serves, delivers increased energy security and resilience, and will help advance sustainability in London."
Veolia's specialist network team delivers optimized, commercially viable, and technically robust solutions gained through the experience of designing and installing thousands of kilometers of networks across many prestigious and technically demanding projects.
In the UK Veolia currently manages the energy plant and networks across more than 50 sites and operates over 120 community heating schemes. These distribute low carbon or renewable heat from combined heat and power plants, waste wood biomass and Energy Recovery Facilities. Globally the company currently operates around 600 district heating networks covering 7000km of heat mains.
