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    Leeds UK expanding District Heating Network fueled by Unrecyclable Waste

    Oct. 11, 2022
    The extension of the district heating system, working with Vital Energi, will cost about 7.2 million Euros ($7.2M U.S.) and add to the 47M-Euro Leeds PIPES network which supplied about 13,900 MWh of reduced carbon heating last year
    Image credit Vital Energi
    Leeds 6345bf96281cf

    United Kingdom-based energy efficiency firm Vital Energi is working with the city council in Leeds to expend the municipality’s district heating network by 2,500 meters to reach more buildings.

    Construction has begun after the Leeds City Council approved the work in the city centre area. The extension of the district heating system will cost about 7.2 million Euros ($7.2M U.S.) and add to the 47M-Euro Leeds PIPES network which supplied about 13,900 MWh of reduced carbon heating last year, according to the report.

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    Heat and energy recovered from non-recyclable waste is used to generate hot water for buildings in the city in northern England. The waste-to-energy work lowers carbon emissions compared to fossil-fuel alternatives, the planners say.

    “Our city’s district heating network is a great example of an innovative scheme which is supporting our long-term net-zero carbon ambitions, whilst enabling residents and businesses to enjoy reliable and affordable heating now,” Helen Hayden, of the Leeds City Council and executive member for infrastructure and climate, said. “As the wholesale price of gas rises, and as more and more building managers and developers seek to reduce their carbon footprint, our district heating offer has become even more competitive.”

    Nearly 11,000 Leeds households receive heat generated by the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility, according to Vital Energi. It also reduced the city’s carbon footprint by an estimated 2,000 metric tons in 2021.

    Vital Energi also helped build the Tower of Light as a focal point of the Manchester Civic Quarter Heat Network.

    About the Author

    Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor | Senior Editor

    For EnergyTech editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].

    Rod Walton has spent 15 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

    He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.

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