THE first pipes to supply the new Shawfair Town in Midlothian with low carbon heating have been installed, with construction on the site now well underway.
Vattenfall Heat UK and Midlothian Council are working together under a joint venture known as Midlothian Energy Limited and have employed FES Group to deliver the heating, which will provide around 3,000 homes, education and retail properties at Shawfair, a development overseen by Shawfair LLP.
This will be Vattenfall’s first ever heat project in Scotland and Midlothian Energy Limited’s flagship project.
Heat that would otherwise be wasted will be captured by Midlothian Energy from Millerhill recycling and energy recovery centre (RERC), operated by FCC Environment, then transported via a network of underground pipes to provide a low-carbon source of heating and hot water for properties at Shawfair.
Vattenfall’s modelling suggests the heat networks could reduce emissions by up to 90% in comparison to individual gas boilers fitted in every home.
Heat is expected to be delivered to homes by March 2024.The pipes for the initial phase of the network will be around 4km in length. The project will benefit from up to £7.3 million from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transformation Project (LCITP).
Eoghan Maguire, director for Scotland at Vattenfall Heat UK, said, “This project is such an important first step in our vision for the region. Vattenfall have developed a strategy to deliver city-wide district heating that is capable of supplying heat to the equivalent of 170,000⁴ homes in Midlothian, Edinburgh and East Lothian by 2050, matching the scale of our heat networks in Europe.”
Craig Ormond, director at Shawfair LLP, added, “We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone in the development of Shawfair with installation of the first district heating pipes underway. This will set Shawfair apart with a truly sustainable heat source for thousands of new homes helping to make this a popular new living destination with its own rail link and hundreds of acres of landscaped open space to enjoy.
“Our highly experienced design team have been working closely with Vattenfall and Midlothian Council for several months and are excited to see the progress being made on site. Our project manager (Thomas & Adamson) and contractor (RJ McLeod) have ensured we are progressing on schedule towards the first house connections.”
James Reid, FES Energy operations director at FES Group, commented, “The first pipes being installed at the Shawfair Development is a great milestone achieved for the Vattenfall team following years of project development to get to this point. FES are delighted to be Principal Contractor supporting Vattenfall and Midlothian Council in their ambitious energy strategy for the Midlothian area and look forward to further milestones being achieved at the development over the coming year.”
