Vattenfall agrees to 8MW district heating scheme in Barnet

Vattenfall Heat UK will deliver an 8MW districting heating system to heat homes, schools and businesses in Barnet, with a view to removing all carbon-emitting sources from the system.


Vattenfall agrees to 8MW district heating scheme in Barnet

The scheme will include 8MW of heat pumps that will supply more than 80% of the required heat for the regeneration site

Vattenfall has signed the agreement with Brent Cross South developer Argent Related to deliver the 8MW district heating system, which will be the largest of its kind in the UK.

Expected to be operational from 2023, the district heating network will deliver low-carbon heat and hot water to 6,700 new homes and around half a million square metres of new office, retail and commercial space. The system will support Barnet’s proposed Brent Cross South regeneration scheme, and Vattenfall was appointed the preferred partners in early 2019.

Vattenfall Heat UK’s regional director Adriana Rodriguez said: “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.

“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.”

The scheme will include 8MW of heat pumps that will supply more than 80% of the required heat for the regeneration site. Other low-carbon heat sources will be sourced and Vattenfall wants to eliminate all sources of carbon emissions from the system, but no timebound target has been set in this regard.

The engineers that will work on the system will use the infrastructure to cool businesses and houses in the summer.

Brent Cross South DM’s chief operating officer Anthony Peter added: “Brent Cross South will be a new town centre which encourages people to thrive, leading healthier lives, and which is being designed to ambitious sustainability targets. We have chosen to work with Vattenfall to help us deliver future-proofed energy infrastructure with the aim of achieving zero carbon heating within a generation.”

The UK’s net-zero emissions target for 2050 will require every household to replace their heating system with lower carbon alternatives. It is estimated that this will take more than 1,000 years at the current rate, the Living Labs study claimed. Around 75% of the UK’s current heating demand in buildings is met by natural gas.

At present, less than 5% of the energy used for heating homes and buildings in the UK comes from low-carbon sources. Heating and hot water account for around 15% of the UK’s overall annual carbon footprint, with the nation currently off-track to meet a key target of ensuring 12% of heat is generated using renewables by the end of 2020. 

Earlier this year, the Government outlined how it will allocate £40m to bring seven new low-carbon heat networks online across London, Leeds, Liverpool and Bristol.

Matt Mace

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