Southwark Council and its recycling and waste partner, Veolia Environmental Services have announced plans to supply heating and hot water to parts of the borough generated through the South East London Combined Heat and Power energy recovery facility (SELCHP).

The heating network will be the first of its kind in London and will mark the first time that the heating potential of the SELCHP facility has been fully realised since it was built in 1990s by CNIM SA.

The scheme represents an overall investment of £7 million and is forecast to be complete by the end of the year. Following the construction of the Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility on Old Kent Road, Southwark Council is already able divert more of the borough’s waste than ever before from landfill, This scheme offers further environmental improvements by allowing waste that cannot be recycled to provide low carbon heat to five estates in SE16.

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The existing gas boilers on the five estates in Rotherhithe will be switched off resulting in a reduction of around 8,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per annum.

The pioneering scheme presents a viable alternative to traditional gas fired boilers. It will provide sustainable and secure heating for the Southwark homes it serves and promises to deliver long term energy cost savings to residents. The scheme will run for 20 years, after which the council will decide whether to retain the scheme or revert back to the traditional supply of gas.

Since its inception, the SELCHP facility has generated electricity, which fed into the National Grid but until now, the extraction of heat, in the form of hot water that is created as part of the energy process, has not been possible. The facility processes around 430,000 tonnes of waste each year.

Councillor Barrie Hargrove, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment, and Recycling said: "We are delighted to be pioneering such an innovative scheme which will undoubtedly bring about credible benefits not only to our local residents but to the country as a whole. Realising the full potential of the SELCHP facility for the first time means that heat provision can be delivered in a cleaner and more cost effective way. As the first London borough to take such a positive step, we are signalling our strong commitment to the reduction of carbon emissions and keeping Southwark an environmentally friendly zone."

(CD/MH)