Heat Network Study

The City of London Corporation (CoLC) have committed through their Climate Action Strategy to support the Square Mile to achieve Net Zero by 2040. CoLC have identified support for developing existing and future heat networks as a priority as evidenced through our recent Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) and seek to undertake more detailed studies on specific network expansion and decarbonisation opportunities.

The LAEP identified the N-E Square Mile area as having the highest heat density in the Square Mile and thus being a high priority for future heat network development. Based on these findings, CoLC have completed a heat network masterplan for this N-E Square Mile area (including parts of South Hackney and west Tower Hamlets), which shed significant waste heat potential from many office building cooling systems in this area, as well as from data centres, UKPN substations and large sewer mains. The CoLC intend to procure a consultant to progress the masterplan finings to feasibility stage.

Separately, London Borough of Hackney (LBH) have developed a heat network masterplan for a number of areas, including South Shoreditch which is just across the boundary with the Square Mile, with the long-term vision of connecting up each of these network areas. LBH are separately seeking to undertake a heat network feasibility study for South Shoreditch (SS).

The CoLC are aware that developing large scale, interconnected heat networks across LA boundaries can bring a number of mutual benefits, relating to the ability to ‘share’ waste heat and key strategic low-carbon sources (especially those close to the LA boundary). To quantify and capitalise on these opportunities requires a collaborative approach between LAs for energy modelling and engagement with low-carbon/waste heat sources & owners. As such, this commission will include two separate studies to be delivered in parallel - The North-East Square Mile Feasibility Study (NESQM) and the Cross Boundary Heat Sharing Study (CBHS).

The NESQM study will focus on the economic and technical feasibility of developing a heat network in this area too solely supply buildings within the CoL boundary, while the CBHS study will assess the viability and potential benefits of interconnection of the networks developed during the NESQM and SS studies. Both studies in this commission will require close collaboration with the SS feasibility study, with information shared between the three studies to build a comprehensive picture of the optimal solution for heat decarbonisation in this area. While there will be some overlap, the CoLC expect the consultant to issue separate deliverables for each study.