A community energy centre in northern England is expected to reduce the carbon emissions of an 1,800-home estate by up to 35%.
The gas-fired combine heat and power system will provide the Scotswood housing project in Newcastle with heating and hot water when complete.
The CHP facility is located on the site of an old abattoir and will eventually supply all 1,800 homes at The Rise, where the first properties went on sale last month.The 66-hectare site overlooking the River Tyne is the largest single site housing-led regeneration scheme in the North of England.
It is being delivered by New Tyne West Development Company – a joint partnership between Newcastle City Council and developers Barratt Homes and Keepmoat.
Over the next 15 years, £265 million will be invested in the site.
Duncan Bowman, development director at NTWDC, said: “This is a really exciting project for us. An energy centre serving a site of this scale will be the first of its kind in the north. This particular aspect of the redevelopment of Scotswood has been a long time in the planning and it is thanks to the commitment of NTWDC and E.ON that it has come to fruition.
Once 600 homes are completed and connected the energy centre will become a combined heat and power plant, meaning Scotswood will have its own neighbourhood electricity generating facility.