First pipes installed for Vattenfall's Scottish district heating project

Midlothian Energy Limited, a joint venture between Vattenfall Heat UK and Midlothian Council, has installed the first pipes to supply the new Shawfair Town with low-carbon district heating.

Shawfair Town is a new urban development being constructed in Midlothian County, Scotland.

Midlothian Energy, together with Scottish company FES Group, is building a low-carbon district heating network for the town, which is expected to be operational by March 2024.

The pipes for the initial phase of the network, around four kilometres in length, have been installed and will provide heating and hot water for about 3,000 properties at Shawfair.

The heating system works by capturing heat from Millerhill Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre (RERC), operated by FCC Environment, then transporting it via a network of underground pipes.

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This is Vattenfall’s first heating project in Scotland and Midlothian Energy Limited’s flagship project.

James Reid, FES Energy Operations Director at FES Group said: “The first pipes being installed at the Shawfair Development is a great milestone achieved for the Vattenfall team following years of project development to get to this point.

Paul Taylor, Group Chief Executive for FCC Environment said: “Since 2019 the Millerhill recycling and energy recovery centre (RERC) has been converting non-recyclable household and business waste into heat and power.

“With Net Zero ever on the agenda...utilising the heat from this plant is vital. So today’s news that real progress is being made towards delivering low-cost, low-carbon heating to 170,000 homes in the Midlothian and Edinburgh region is welcome and we are proud to be a part of this major step forward.”

This district heating project will benefit from up to £7.3 million ($9.4 million) from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transformation Project and will be a catalyst for a wider regional network stretching into south Edinburgh and East Lothian.

According to Vattenfall’s modelling, the heat networks in Midlothian could reduce emissions by up to 90% in comparison to individual gas boilers fitted in every home.

Eoghan Maguire, Director for Scotland at Vattenfall Heat UK said: “Scotland’s ambitious net zero target of 2045 cannot be met unless district heating is deployed at scale. The collaboration between organisations working to deliver this project means that the vision for this brand-new town can become exemplary for district heating in Scotland and beyond."