By rosebell
A proposed heat transmission tunnel beneath the River Thames has received £41m from the UK government.
The London Strategic Heat Main will be the UK’s first large-scale heat transmission system. It will transport surplus heat from a recycling and waste management facility in south-east London to local distribution networks across the capital.
The project, being developed by recycling and waste company Cory in collaboration with heat network developers and local and national government, will initially transport hot water 25km along the River Thames by electric barges until the tunnel is completed.
The pipeline, which is subject to planning consent, will comprise two tunnels up to 2.5m in diameter. It will include a central transmission trunk and branches to feed the supply. The final alignment has yet to be decided.
The network will supply heat to 650,000 homes in 11 London boroughs.
The government says the project will help unlock around £5bn of investment in London’s local heat networks and support skilled jobs in tunnelling, engineering and river transport.
Cory says studies are also under way to examine whether the London Strategic Heat Main could also provide cooling through absorption heat pumps.
Yesterday’s funding announcement also included investment to upgrade existing heat networks in England and Wales.
Minister for local energy and jobs Martin McCluskey said clean power and clean heat benefited communities across our country.
“Building the infrastructure to deliver it is reindustrialising the UK and rolling out cutting-edge energy technology so families can benefit from lower bills, good jobs and energy security,” he said.
