60MW energy centre & district heating network receives planning permission

Waste heat from the nearby North London Waste Authority (NLWA) Energy Recovery Facility is set to be used to heat homes and businesses in the London Borough of Enfield after Enfield Council approved planning permission for a new 60MW low-carbon energy centre and district heating network. 

Energetik employed Vital Energi to submit the planning permission for the Energy Centre, which is located at Advent Way.

Customers of the new very low carbon energy scheme will include the 82-hectare Meridian Water development which will include 10,000 homes, a new train station, workplaces and open spaces.  The energy centre will connect to the NLWA Energy Recovery Facility once complete in 2026, taking waste heat and distributing it to customers through a highly insulated network of underground district heating pipes.

The proposed development is located within the Eco Park operated by London Energy Limited (LEL), and in addition to assisting with the planning process, Vital Energi will build the energy centre and heat network. Vital Energi will then provide operation and maintenance on the network and energy centre for a 10-year period.

Rob Callaghan, Regional Director for Vital Energi commented, “The scale of this project makes it a hugely important opportunity for Enfield to lower their CO2 emissions.  By harnessing waste heat from the nearby waste to energy plant, thousands of homes and businesses will be heated in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.”

“This is an innovative scheme and we are delighted to have the opportunity to help Energetik with their planning application and look forward to the construction and operation phases of the project.”

In addition to the heat taken from the NLWA, the energy centre will include two 25m high thermal stores, each holding 1,693,000 litres of hot water plus, for resilience and back up, six 10MW boilers installed across three phases. This will provide a highly resilient heating network, ensuring reliable heat and hot water at all times to Energetik’s customers.

Vital Energi submitted the planning application on behalf of Energetik and employed Stewart Stephenson Architects and structural engineers Buro Happold as part of the professional team.

Work is scheduled to begin in January 2021 with completion expected in November 2022.