Liverpool Waters offices connect to district heat network

No8, No10, and No12 Princes Dock are all set to receive their heating and hot water supply from the Mersey Heat Network when it is up and running later this year.

Mersey Heat Network is a multi-million-pound initiative geared towards providing low-carbon heat and hot water by utilising the water from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The project is being developed through Ener-Vate – a subsidiary of Peel NRE that specialises in heat networks.

Vital Energi is currently building the heart of the network: the Mersey Heat Energy Centre. The facility will house the water source heat pumps that will take the water from the canal and send it through the nearly four-mile network.

The energy centre, located off Great Howard Street in Liverpool, is set to complete in September.

When it is operational, Mersey Heat Network is expected to be able to generate 20GWh of heat each year. That is enough to provide heat and hot water to up to 1.3m sq ft of commercial space and 6,700 homes within the £5.5bn Liverpool Waters project, according to Peel NRE.

Further phases of the heat network will allow it to supply 45GWh of heat – enough for 17,000 homes.

The three office blocks at Princes Dock are the first commercial buildings to connect to the district heat network. All are part of the Liverpool Waters development from Peel NRE sister company Peel Waters.

“With construction of the new energy centre underway, it’s fantastic that we are now securing connections to the network from offices at Princes Dock,” said Liza Marco, the senior asset manager at Liverpool Waters.

“This is a highly desirable location for businesses, with a beautiful waterfront setting and access to range of amenities but, at Liverpool Waters, we are also striving for excellence in sustainability and climate resilience,” she continued.

“This is also a big priority for our tenants and our growing community, and so it is vital that we connect to this ambitious project right across the Liverpool Waters site to ensure the sustainable regeneration of Liverpool’s northern docklands.”

Vital Energy pre-construction director Andrew Wightman spoke about the importance of connecting buildings to the network early on.

“Securing early adopters to the scheme further fortifies the need for heat networks across cities like Liverpool, where a range of buildings are seeking to contribute to the UK’s wider net zero journey and invest in their own sustainable heat and hot water infrastructure,” Wightman said.

“Vital Energi is delighted to be a part of the Mersey Heat network, developing and delivering a futureproofed and low-carbon heat network.”