Plans for district heating networks in Hexham and Prudhoe

Heat networks distribute heat from a central source to a variety of different customers such as businesses, hospitals and homes via a network of underground pipes.

By supplying multiple buildings, they avoid the need for individual boilers or electric heaters in every building.

Matt Baker, service director for climate change, business intelligence and performance at Northumberland County Council, said more than 70 per cent of homes and 50 per cent of businesses in the county's major towns need to be connected to a low carbon heat source by 2030 as part of their commitment to make Northumberland carbon neutral by the end of this decade.

"That either means at the moment a district heat network or a low carbon air source heat pump," he said.

A district heat network would, however, limit the need for thousands of different low carbon heating system installations.

Therefore, the council has undertaken feasibility studies for networks in Northumberland's eight largest towns - Berwick, Alnwick, Ashington, Blyth, Cramlington, Morpeth, Prudhoe and Hexham.

Regarding the two Tynedale towns, the council has had conversations with manufacturing companies Egger and Essity about how heat from their factories in Hexham and Prudhoe respectively, which would otherwise go to waste, could potentially be used to warm hundreds of homes and businesses.

Mr Baker said the networks would provide jobs for different skilled tradespeople, including those who "when we get into the gas boiler ban, are going to need other ways of making money".

The council is aiming to appoint an infrastructure partner from the private sector by the end of the year to deliver the networks on a county-wide basis.

"They need to bring their skills, their experience and also their money," said Mr Baker, who has been working on the project alongside colleague Hannah Davison.

"That cash injection county-wide will be felt in each of the eight towns and that's really exciting."

The networks would be built in phases. In Hexham, for example, public sector buildings such as Wentworth Leisure Centre and businesses in the area would be supplied first before homes would be connected to the network.

"The key thing will be matching the load to the demand," said Mr Baker. "If there's too much demand, then it won't be warm enough and if there's too much load, it's not economical.

"It will need to be done in a careful, engaged way."

It is hoped the networks would be up and running from 2026.

Andrew Hearns, Essity's technology area manager, said: "We have various sources of heat around the mill, and burn a lot of gas to provide the heat for a number of our manufacturing processes.

Andrew Hearns, Essity’s Technology Area Manager (Image: Essity)

"Tissue production is a very energy-intensive process – and although we capture a lot of the heat generated to use around the site, some of it still ends up going out of the chimney as hot air. In two of our mills in Sweden and Austria they already supply hot water to district heating schemes and it would be great to replicate this in Prudhoe.

"Although there would be a cost to us in capturing and diverting this excess heat, it’s something we are keen to continue exploring with NCC. Carbon reduction and sustainability is vitally important to all of us, and helping the local authority to reduce its carbon footprint by utilising heat from gas that we’ve already used is a win-win for all of us – and the planet.

"There are still a lot of discussions to be had, and technical issues to be sorted out.

"But it’s an exciting prospect."

Tobias Zimmermann, plant director technical/production, at Egger Hexham, said: "We are in the early stages of looking at our future energy plans, which may include a district heating scheme.

"We have discussed the potential concept with Northumberland County Council and are investigating the feasibility of multiple solutions."

The council is developing its approach to district heating in partnership with central government, the Department for Internal Trade and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and also with regional partners including the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and the North of Tyne Combined Authority.