Mersey Energy Centre to get ‘game-changing’ water sourced heat pump

A deal with Star Refrigeration Ltd will see the £2.5m technology delivered to Peel Water’s Liverpool Waters facility, at Princes Dock, Liverpool.

Built by Vital Energi in Glasgow, and led by Peel NRE’s district heat network specialist, Ener-Vate, the project will play a central role in the city’s low carbon energy mix. 

The water soured heat pump has been described as a ‘game changer’ and is the first of its kind to be installed anywhere in the UK. Once fitted, it will extract heat from the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and use this to provide low carbon power to thousands of homes and businesses, through 6km of underground pipeline. 

The project should be online by winter 2024, and one operating at its maximum potential could provide enough energy for more than one-fifth of all homes in Liverpool, showing the scale of impact district heat networks can have, a key reason the Government now sees this infrastructure as fundamental to national net zero and emission plans.

‘Our heat pumps are manufactured in the UK and are an efficient way to cut CO₂ emissions and lower the carbon footprint of connected buildings by around 75%, which will reduce further as the grid decarbonises. It will help thousands of homes and businesses move away from fossil fuels,’ said David Pearson, Director, Star Refrigeration Ltd. ‘We’re proud to be providing a key component of the Mersey Heat Energy Centre, with the district heat network providing a critical step on the city region’s decarbonisation journey.’

‘This is a major development which will have a real, positive impact on Liverpool’s future and we are delighted that sustainability is embedded at its core,’ added Andrew Wightman, Pre-Construction Director at Vital Energi. ‘We have seen, first hand, how effective large-scale water source heat pumps can be in decarbonising communities and are proud to be helping to bring another piece of Liverpool’s future green infrastructure to life which will serve the people of Liverpool for decades to come.’

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Image: Star Refrigeration