PLANS to construct an £11.5m ‘heat network’ transferring warmth from burning rubbish have taken a step forward, with Bolton Council considering partly-funding the project.

A study paid for jointly by the council, the government and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) found that it would be feasible to use some of the heat from burning waste at the Raikes Lane Thermal Recovery Facility to heat-up key buildings.

Currently, the facility uses waste collected by Bolton Council as a fuel that it burns to create heat which is then used to generate steam to drive a turbine that exports electricity to the National Grid.

At the moment, any extra steam generated is cooled and converted back to water — with the excess heat produced lost to the atmosphere via cooling towers.

However, the ‘heat network’ would aim to use that excess heat to warm water, which will then be directed through a huge grid of underground piping carrying heated water into Bolton town centre to heat up buildings.

The warmth provided to these locations will not fully heat the buildings but it means less energy needs to be pumped into boilers or electrical systems.

The council has stressed that the scheme is only in its early stages but three years of studies authorities have confirmed that the scheme could ultimately be profitable as well as environmentally friendly.

A spokesman said: “We will continue to explore the possibility of a heat network in Bolton as a means of producing affordable and clean energy for buildings in the town centre.”

The authority has since committed to putting together an outline business case for the project, which present possible plans to begin construction.

This will cost the council £3,300, with another £67,000 awarded by the Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) — a government body working within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy — and a further £29,700 given by the GMCA.

The spokesman added: “Heat networks are a key part of the government’s broader Clean Growth Strategy and similar projects are being looked at across Greater Manchester.

“It is important to stress that these proposals are at a very early stage as we gather more information about the technical and design aspects as well as considering potential funding options.”

The work came to light recently at a portfolio meeting for deputy council leader Ebrahim Adia, where council officers presented the results of studies from consultancy firm Peter Brett Associates (PBA) over the last three years.

In order to present an alternative to the Raikes Lane plan, PBA were also commissioned to look into the feasibility of creating another heat source in a town centre location which would connect to the tip at some point in the future.

This was completed in November 2017.

The study was based on the construction of a gas-fired Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant located on the former bus station on Moor Lane.

The plant would have generated both heat and power for buildings in the town centre, with less heat lost in the transfer from the plant to the required destinations.

However, the study concluded that “a town centre only scheme would not achieve a return on investment over a 30 or 40 year timeframe”.

In comparison, a working system running out of Raikes Lane could generate a value of £8.3m for the council over the next 30 years, even considering the initial £11.5m cost.

After being presented with the these costs the council was given the option of either fully or partly funding the network or looking for a private firm to complete the work.

Cllr Adia, in the presence of opposition councillors, Paul Sanders, Martyn Cox and Roger Hayes, agreed to go ahead with an outline business case and to consider the option that the network would be partly funded by the council.

Five facts on the heat network plan:

  1. £100,000 - The cost of using the information that the council has learned through its studies so far to put together an outline business case on developing a future Bolton heat network.
  2. 30% - A heat network could reduce heating bills by 30% in some buildings. The council has linked this with a reduction in fuel poverty and increased profitability for businesses.
  3. £17m - Through its Heat Networks Delivery Unit the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has released £17m of support to local authorities since 2013.
  4. £8.3m - Studies completed so far suggest a heat network from Raikes Lane could generate a profit of £8.3m over a period of 30 years despite the initial £11.5m costs.
  5. 2050 - The recently published the Clean Growth Strategy says heat networks could meet 17% of heat demand in homes and 24% in public sector buildings by 2050