Vattenfall has signed an agreement with property developer Argent Related to design, build and operate one of the UK’s largest heat networks to date.
The network will serve 6,700 new homes proposed as part of the Brent Cross South regeneration scheme in North London as well as three million square feet of office, retail and commercial space.
The project will include the installation of heat pumps with a thermal generation capacity of 8MW that will meet four fifths of demand on the network.
Vattenfall said it will be supplied by a range of low-carbon heat sources, including possibly electric boilers and waste heat extracted from data centres. The design will be “future-proofed” to allow for the easy installation of new and innovative technologies.
Engineers are also working on plans to use the network to provide cooling as well as heating.
“This is a really exciting partnership with Argent Related and means we can install a state-of-the-art heat network that will deliver affordable, reliable, and low carbon heating for people in the Brent Cross South redevelopment,” said Adriana Rodriguez, regional director for the South at Vattenfall Heat UK.
“Vattenfall’s purpose is to power climate smarter living. Working with ambitious partners who share our vision and values, like Argent Related and Barnet Council, means we can make regeneration in London climate-friendly.”
Earlier this month, the company unveiled plans to create a heat network in East London that would be supplied by an energy-from-waste plant Belvedere and provide warmth to 10,500 new homes earmarked for construction nearby. It said the network could potentially be expanded to serve the equivalent of 75,000 homes across four boroughs.