Plan to vastly expand Sheffield’s district heating network

E.ON is looking to expand its district heating network in Sheffield to more than double the size of the existing network.

The energy giant is exploring the possibility of adding 10 additional kilometers of pipeline in the Don Valley area, which would allow it to connect new customers and potentially utilise new sources of low-carbon heating that might otherwise go to waste.

Currently, the district heating scheme in the Lower Don Valley is powered by E.ON’s Blackburn Meadows renewable energy plant, which uses biomass to provide heating to buildings connected to the 8-kilometer pipe network.

The proposed expansion would connect more businesses and homes across the Lower Don Valley to this low-carbon heating system.

Chris Lovatt, chief operating officer for E.ON’s Energy Infrastructure Solutions business, says:

“Whether it’s combating the climate crisis, cleaning the air in city streets, or weaning the UK off fossil fuels to avoid the impact of volatile global gas markets, we need to find new, cleaner ways of heating our homes and businesses. Heat networks like ours in the Lower Don Valley allow us to do that.

“We are the playmakers in creating a more sustainable UK through projects like this, and with Sheffield’s bold steps to become a zero-carbon city by 2030 we’re looking to expand the route of our district heat network to play a role in that ambition. As part of our ongoing investment in the city we’ll be looking to create more than 2,000 green jobs in the region as well as improving public spaces – leaving every space we touch better than when we found it.”

A formal planning application could be submitted to Sheffield City Council towards the end of summer, with E.ON launching a consultation programme and events for local residents in the coming weeks.

If planning consent is granted, construction would begin towards the end of 2025 and continue until the end of 2028.

Image courtesy of E.ON, showing the Blackburn Meadows renewable energy plant