Work begins on Peel’s Mersey Heat Energy Centre

Renewable energy company Vital Energi is building the facility, which will supply low carbon heat and hot water for up to 6,700 homes and 1.3m sq ft of commercial space.

Construction has started to deliver the Mersey Heat Energy Centre at Peel Waters’ Liverpool Waters site off Great Howard Street. Peel NRE is behind the scheme.

The centre will provide heat and power to the wider Liverpool Waters development, as well as surrounding areas. Liverpool Waters is a large-scale £5.5bn project, which benefits from planning permission to build a mixed-use city district across 148 acres at Princes Dock.

Led by district heat network specialist Ener-Vate, the Mersey Heat Energy Centre will feature two 3MW water source heat pumps that would work on an ‘open loop’ system to take heat from water from the Leeds-Liverpool canal. This heat would be used to warm surrounding homes and businesses within six kilometres.

Plans form the first phase of Peel NRE’s Mersey Heat network. The initial project could supply 20GWh of heat every year, with planning permission secured to expand to supply around 45GWh – the equivalent of supplying heating and hot water to 17,000 homes.

Chris Capes, director for development at Liverpool Waters, said: “Part of our approach involves a focus on building efficiency and the implementation of ambitious site-wide strategies.

“This new energy centre, part of the wider Mersey Heat network, will help to bring low-carbon heating and hot water to residents and commercial customers across Liverpool Waters.”

Andrew Wightman, pre-construction director at Vital Energi, added: “Projects like Liverpool Waters, which fully embrace renewable energy, will be fundamental to Liverpool, and the UK in general, meeting their net zero targets.

“The energy centre has been designed to expand alongside the Liverpool Waters development, so will play a pivotal part in the long-term green future of Liverpool’s dockside.”

Reducing the reliance on fossil fuels, the scheme will save 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year. This reduction in emissions will have the same impact as taking 1,000 cars off the roads.

Myles Kitcher, managing director of Peel NRE, said: “Finding alternative low-carbon sources of heat will be vital if we’re to stay on track to achieve net zero by 2050.

“This ambitious project has the potential to provide enough low carbon heat for over a fifth of the homes in Liverpool, cementing the city at the heart of the region’s decarbonisation journey.”

Planning permission was granted for the project in February 2021. Work is expected to complete next September.