PwC building to be powered by cooking oil

The company has signed a deal to use what it is says the largest ever office supply of recycled cooking oil from bars, restaurants and businesses across London.

Two 6,000 litre tankers a week will be filled with used cooking oil collected from offices and restaurants from city centre locations.

The oil will be transported to a local refinery, Uptown Biodiesel, and then on to PwC for use in the firm’s state of the art facility on site at their new office at More London.

The tri-generation facility will use 100% biofuel to fire two large generators creating 25% of the electricity needed for the building, as well as 20% of its heating and cooling. Overall, 25% of the energy needed in the building will be generated on site.

The company have sourced the supply within the London area to keep the carbon footprint of the project to a minimum.

Pub group Fullers, restaurant chain Zizi’s and city wine bar chain Corney and Barrow are amongst those participating in the recycling scheme for cooking oil.

PwC head of Building & Facilities Services, Jon Barnes, said: “When you think of green technologies you don’t think of used oil from a kitchen but the reality is these technologies offered us a real low carbon alternative to traditional fuel.

“It was an ambitious plan, when you realise a small restaurant might use 10 to 20 litres a week, and you see the scale of the deal we’re talking about, for just one site.

“Securing the supply within the M25 was essential, as otherwise the carbon footprint for moving the oil increases and would have defeated the purpose of investing in the low carbon technology.”

The new PwC office was the first in London to achieve the BREEAM Outstanding rating for its environmental performance and design and over 50% of the building’s energy demand is met from low and zero carbon technologies.

Alison Brown