Council approves building work to begin next Spring
A major new energy innovation centre which will deliver significant carbon and cost savings for Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) has passed a milestone with the approval of planning permission.
The energy innovation centre, which is expected to be one of the largest projects of its type in the UK, will provide low carbon heating, hot water and electricity for Addenbrooke’s and Rosie hospitals.
This will save CUH £30 million in energy costs and cut carbon emissions by 47 per cent over the 25 year contract term.
Following planning approval from Cambridge County Council, Utilyx, Mitie’s integrated energy solutions business, will start work on the energy centre next Spring.
Grid electricity will be cut by more than 50 per cent, providing the Trust with greater energy independence and protecting them from rising energy prices.
Mitie, the FTSE 250 strategic outsourcing company, was awarded the contract to develop and operate the energy innovation centre in March last year.
It will be developed in partnership with the NHS Carbon and Energy Fund which supports projects which meet a certain level of carbon savings.
The new energy innovation centre will house a combined heat and power unit, biomass boiler, efficient dual fuel boilers and heat recovery from clinical waste incineration.
It has been designed with the potential to provide energy to future developments on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Mark Stokes, managing director of Utilyx’s asset management division, said: “This is a major milestone for this important project which will have a material impact on Cambridge University Hospital’s carbon emissions and energy costs. We’re really excited about moving forward and enabling the energy innovation centre in partnership with Cambridge University Hospitals.”
St.Clair Armitage, CUH director for corporate development, said: “We are very pleased that this excellent project has received planning permission from the county council. Subject to further approvals the energy innovation centre will deliver significant economic and sustainability benefits for CUH and our partners on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The low carbon, state-of-the-art energy centre will provide us with greater energy independence and reduce the impact of rising energy prices.”
The Trust’s existing energy centre houses the NHS’s first combined heat and power plant which, for the last 20 years, has been providing sustainable energy to the expanding campus. The Trust incinerates its clinical waste onsite within the energy centre and uses clinical waste produced on the campus as a fuel source to provide heat and hot water to the campus.
Besides the development of the energy centre, Utilyx will also reduce energy demand on the existing CUH campus through a number of initiatives including a major lighting upgrade throughout the hospital.
The new energy innovation centre, which will help Addenbrooke’s Hospital surpass its NHS sustainability targets, will be fully operational by 2015.
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For further information, contact:
Bell Pottinger
Katie Swain
KSwain@Bell-Pottinger.co.uk
T: +44 20 7861 2853
Chris Watts
cwatts@bell-pottinger.co.uk
T: +44 20 7861 2859
