Climate change action plan 2021-23

The assessments of Blyth and Cramlington have already been undertaken at a high level and their next steps
are detailed below.
Blyth network
A heat mapping and energy master planning study
was undertaken for Blyth in 2020 to consider the
ability of district heat networks to be feasibly run. The
primary purpose of the study was to establish if the
Bates Colliery mine water treatment plant run by the
Coal Authority could be used as a heat source to
provide low carbon heat to commercial and domestic
properties around Blyth.
The study has confirmed that a network is possible
and feasible, however further study is required to
understand the full extent of the potential network.
An underground study has also been conducted and
concluded that there is enough geothermal heat in
the mine water held underground to provide heat for
all the properties in Blyth.
Northumberland County Council will be working to
maximise the reach of the network currently set out in
Figure 10, to ensure the best economic, social and
environmental credentials for the scheme. It will be
particularly key to deliver the maximum carbon
savings physically possible through the scheme.
Successful implementation of phase 1 will save
1,400tCO 2
per year 10 . Further phases have been
modelled and will be reviewed as part of a wider
reaching strategy through the next stage
technoeconomic feasibility study.
Northumberland County Council sees this as a strategic
asset and is working closely with the Coal Authority to
determine how best to use the heat and how to provide
it to the county for the maximum carbon reduction.
To this end Northumberland County Council will work
with central government to secure funding in order
that the full extent of this potential project can be
established and realised. Applications have been
made to fund a detailed technical feasibility study
into this opportunity.
Northumberland County Council will seek to ensure
that the technology is implemented in the safest and
most secure way to create a reliable network capable
of replacing the traditional fossil fuel-based alternatives
this seeks to replace. The network will be utilized,
initially by the businesses detailed in Figure 10 but it
is intended that more businesses and homes could
use the network as it expands and becomes more
commercially viable.
The network will further seek to incorporate the new
assets being developed within Blyth through Future
High Streets Fund and Town Deal and seek to support
any new properties as low/zero carbon assets from
their inception.
Aspects of the potential network(s) identified in the
heat mapping and energy master planning study have
been determined to be uneconomical. Northumberland
County Council will work with heat network specialists
to determine routes to improve the viability and hence
the deliverability of a larger network with greater carbon
savings. The scale of ambition is to utilise the asset to
decarbonise as much of the town as technologically
possible.
Should all 3 initially identified network opportunities
be undertaken, the capital investment into the town
would be circa £17m and equate to annual carbon
savings of over 3000tCO 2
.
Within the area of Blyth an opportunity to develop
further wind turbines on the land that currently has a
single turbine has been identified. Were the network
can utilise wind or other renewable energy to power
an energy centre, the heat produced would be zero
carbon. This presents the first tangible opportunity to
fully decarbonise heat within Northumberland and
use local infrastructure to do so.
10
CON-REP-6198 - Northumberland District Heating
Network Energy Masterplanning – 03C (Locogen
2020)
28
Climate Change Action Plan 2021-23