Hackney Council is looking for a contractor to design, build, operate and maintain a major heat network in two housing developments and public buildings, including a leisure centre and Shoreditch Park Primary School, in the London borough.
The contractor will develop of a low-carbon energy centre “employing modern technologies such as air-source heat pumps” for the Colville and Britannia developments. It will include a heat network connecting over 1,300 homes, a leisure centre, schools, and commercial premises.
The contractor will operate the heat network for 15 years, with an optional extension of 10 years as part of the circa £23 million contract. It will also provide customer support in collaboration with the council and a metering & billing contractor to be appointed. The council said that since it plans to develop multiple heat networks across the borough, it wants to contract this to a single entity to establish a homogeneous approach across all district energy networks in the borough. It said, “Given that heat networks will be regulated from 2025, it is likely that the council will be best served by contracting this activity to an established contractor with a good track record”. There may also be a role for a planned new company, Hackney Light & Power.
Some phases of the Colville development are already built, totalling 355 homes. These are currently being supplied with heat from a communal heating system based on gas boilers and will be connected to the new network. The gas boilers are to be maintained as peaking plant and back up.
The project has received £2.94 million from the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF). The Colville and Britannia developments will pay domestic connection charges of £5,750 per dwelling for 958 properties which are as yet unbuilt.