UK Shows Plans for Low-Carbon Heat Network in London

The UK government set out plans this week for one the country’s largest heat networks, which is slated to provide low-carbon heat to about 1,000 buildings in central London. 

The network is part of a £1 billion ($1.29 billion) initiative to provide low-carbon heating throughout Westminster, a city and governmental hub within Greater London. The heat network was established by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Westminster Council.

As The Guardian reported, the plan will be developed by Hemiko and Vital Energi as part of the South Westminster Area Network partnership, which will invest £1 billion over the next 6 years into developing this network.

As explained by the UK Department for Business, Energy, & Industrial Strategy, a heat network is a form of centralized heating ideal for high-density areas that eliminates the need for boilers and electric heaters in individual buildings. According to the department, heat networks are one of the most affordable options for reducing heating-related emissions. The savings are passed on to consumers, with about a 30% savings when swapping an individual electric heater to join a heat network.

The scheme could save about 75,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, The Guardian reported.

The project is able to supply low-carbon heating by drawing otherwise wasted heat from the London Underground transportation system, the sewers and the River Thames. The waste heat will be pulled through a network of pipes and dispensed to buildings in Westminster for central heating and water heaters. Rather than electric heaters or boilers, buildings will have a heat exchanger to dispense heat supplied by the network.

“Taking waste heat from the River Thames and London Underground to heat such iconic places as the Houses of Parliament and the National Portrait Gallery is a really exciting example of what lies ahead on our journey to low-cost, low-carbon heating,” said Miatta Fahnbulleh, minister for energy consumers at DESNZ, as reported by the BBC. “This project will help support hundreds of jobs and make bold new strides towards boosting our energy security.”

Currently, only around 3% of the UK sources heat through heat networks, but these networks are expected to be an important part of reducing fossil fuel reliance and reaching the country’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. By then, heat networks could meet 19% or more of heat demand in the country.

The first heat from the network is expected to be supplied in 2026, according to a press release from infrastructure consulting firm AECOM, which is involved with the project. The full network is expected to be complete by 2050.

“Heat networks are crucial to the UK’s energy transition,” said Channa Karunaratne, head of heat networks at AECOM. “We need to move away from fossil fuels, work towards energy independence and enable growth in our buildings and places, and heat networks are a vital part of the solution.”