Ambitious plans for a district heating network in Cardiff using a state-of-the-art Energy from Waste (EfW) platform has been backed to the tune of £245k by the UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) through its Heat Network Delivery Unit.
The planned scheme would involve a 12km pipeline taking heat from Viridor’s Trident Park site that would connect businesses and landmarks sin the city. Central to the project could also be the retrofitting of existing homes adjacent to the pipeline. The Council is working closely with E.ON and Viridor to establish the feasibility of the scheme.
Cabinet member for Environment, Cllr Ashley Govier welcomed the central government backing. He said, ‘I’m delighted DECC has recognised our District Heating Network scheme as it is a very bold statement of how we intend to generate our own energy, reduce our consumption and bills while making Cardiff a truly sustainable city. Every city is facing these challenges but with the completion of the Viridor (EfW) plant we have the opportunity to generate 30MW of electricity and 25MW of heat which is enough to heat around 20,000 homes in the city.
‘With other schemes in an advanced stage such as the Radyr Weir hydro project to generate energy from the River Taff, this administration is backing our One Planet vision with tangible projects that will make a genuine difference to peoples’ lives and the sustainability of the city.’
Jeremy Bungey, Head of Community Energy at E.ON, said: “This is an exciting project that could bring real cost and environmental benefits to some of the most iconic buildings in the Welsh capital and I’m delighted that its potential has been recognised by the UK Government as well as the city of Cardiff.
“Combined heat and power plants like Trident Park, where district heating is fuelled by waste, are commonplace in nations such as Sweden – frequently listed as one of the world’s greenest countries – and could be a model for making British cities equally as sustainable.”
Cllr Govier added, ‘The DoE has allocated £245k to Cardiff out of a pot of £6m for UK cities to compete for and underlines our commitment to showcase Cardiff as a smart city that is developing integrated policies on key areas such as transport, waste, energy and water with the ambition of becoming a pioneering city in the UK and beyond on this vital agenda.’
