Wembley Park regeneration project to have district heating network

The Wembley Park regeneration project has announced that a district heating network will heat 20 of its buildings.

The £3bn project, which will be the UK’s largest build-to-rent complex, is set to comprise 7,500 homes in the area immediately surrounding Wembley stadium.

The project is due for completion in 2027 and engineering consultants Ramboll will design and deliver the district heating network that will be one of the largest in London.

Crispin Matson, UK Head of Energy at Ramboll, said: ‘The plans for a district heating network represents a huge achievement for our engineering teams.

‘Our goal was to design a heating system that provides the most efficient and environmentally friendly energy solution.

‘The innovative single energy centre heating network will become one of the largest projects of its kind in Europe, and will change the way contractors think about energy provision for future largescale developments.’

The heating distribution system will consist of a single energy centre that will link to a low-temperature hot water heating network spanning approximately 3.5km across the site.

Ramboll is working with SWEP to install a 2-stage system that increases efficiencies by using returned water from the radiator circuit heat exchanger to preheat domestic hot water.

Ramboll says the network will ensure that future heat provision is more environmentally friendly and energy efficient, and will be the largest of its kind in the UK upon completion.

Mathew Riley, Ramboll’s managing director, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with Quintain on the Wembley Park regeneration project.

‘Our commitment to drive maximum efficiency across a range of structural and civil engineering design disciplines means we are perfectly placed to support the development throughout different construction phases.

‘We will continue to work with Quintain on providing cutting-edge solutions for future build-out in Wembley Park.’

In July, Peel Energy, the low carbon energy arm of Peel Land and Property, announced plans to develop a district heat network at its £5bn Liverpool Waters development, under the name of Mersey Heat.

It will be Peel’s second district heat project after the successful installation at MediaCityUK in Salford which has been in operation since 2009, supplying the BBC and University of Salford as part of the world’s first BREEAM approved sustainable community.