Vattenfall will work with recycling and energy recovery company, Viridor, to capture heat from Viridor’s energy recovery facilities (ERFs) across the UK. Heating in UK homes and other buildings, which are currently responsible for around 37% of the UK’s carbon emissions.
The heat will then be delivered through pipes developed and operated by Vattenfall to homes and businesses in the area, providing clean, affordable heat. The waste collected from the community will be recycled into clean heat for the same community, creating a local closed-loop energy system.
Viridor operates a fleet of ERFs up and down the UK and is continuing to expand its operations in new locations. These include plants near areas of urban regeneration which present great opportunities for new-build and existing properties to be served by district heating networks in the coming years.
This collaboration is common in Europe, where Vattenfall already works with ERF owners and operators. The approach being taken by Viridor and Vattenfall aligns well with UK Government, Scottish Government and Welsh Government policies that support the roll out of district heating in urban areas. The Government’s successful flagship Heat Networks Investment Programme and the proposed Green Heat Networks Fund specifically target collaborations between waste heat sources and heat network operators.
Viridor and Vattenfall believe that heat captured from energy recovery facilities present huge opportunities for local authorities to address fuel poverty, improve energy security and, by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, reduce emissions and improve air quality. Large scale heat network projects also have significant local economic benefits, creating jobs through the life of the project from concept and construction through to operation and servicing.
Minister of State for Business, Energy, and Clean Growth, Kwasi Kwarteng said, “Heat networks are playing a vital role in decarbonising the way we warm our homes and businesses and that’s why the Government has committed £320 million of funding through the Heat Networks Investment Project.
“The UK continues to lead the way in transitioning to a future with net zero carbon emissions and I’m delighted to see Vattenfall and Viridor working together to deliver innovative, low carbon heating.”
