District Heating Scheme with Kent Renewable Energy

Overview

Willett Food Projects were approached by Grow Up Farms and their local renewable energy supplier, Kent Renewable Energy (part of Greenvolt Biomass), to assist with project management of the district heating network connection from the local biomass power station to the Grow Up Farms energy centre.

Willett Food Projects were ideally placed to support the scheme given their existing involvement in developing the Grow Up Farms Pepperness facility, including the design and construction of the energy centre and associated energy systems.

Project budget

Below-ground district heating package: ~£1.5m,

Client

Kent Renewable Energy

Date completed

May 2024

Project delivery

A new DN350 medium temperature heating water (MTHW) system was to be piped from a new heat exchanger at the power station. The route ran underground for approximately 500m, then rose on the Grow Up Farms site before continuing a further 100m above ground to the energy centre.

Willett Food Projects managed the civil engineering and district heating contractors, and further supported cross-boundary communications linking the new energy centre to the power station's control system to ensure effective functionality.

Additionally, Willett Food Projects assisted with the design and delivery of Grow Up Farms’ first energy centre and are now supporting expansion plans to accommodate future site developments.

Challenges of the project

Challenges included navigating a pipeline trench approximately 3m wide and 3m deep through an existing industrial landscape. Numerous above- and below-ground services had to be avoided, including steam lines, high-voltage and low-voltage electrical services, fire safety rising mains, and drainage systems.

An ageing surface water system, combined with a naturally high water table, presented additional obstacles. These required the team to reroute the pipeline and undertake emergency repairs to Victorian-era infrastructure.

Project timeline

The works took a total of 12 months to install and commission.

Conclusion

Completion of the district heating system enabled Grow Up Farms Ltd to replace electrically produced chilled water with waste heat via absorption chiller technology.

This significantly reduced the site’s electrical demand and contributed substantially to their carbon reduction goals, using waste heat to drive climate control systems.