Plans to heat more than 2,000 homes using energy recovered from the sewage treatment process have been unveiled by Kingston Council.
Under the plans by the council and Thames Water, heat recovered from Hogsmill sewage works will be captured, concentrated and supplied to local buildings from a state-of-the-art energy centre.
Op to seven gigawatt hours of low carbon heat per year could be supplied via a sealed network of pipes to the district heating system at the new Cambridge Road Estate.
The scheme is the first of its kind in England and could be scaled-up to heat homes across the UK is successful.
Cllr Caroline Kerr, leader of Kingston Council, said: 'This is ground breaking. It’s a first for England and shows we are serious about reducing carbon in the borough.This is a real opportunity to be bold and ambitious for future generations. It’s great to be working alongside Thames Water to make waste into clean energy.'
Sarah Bentley, Thames Water’s chief executive officer, said: 'Renewable heat from our sewer network is a fantastic resource, so it’s important we develop this and more decarbonising schemes further to continue to spread the benefits.'
