A biomass energy centre which will reduce carbon emissions by more than 1,000 tonnes a year is being developed for Waitrose’s new store in Bracknell. MITIE, the strategic outsourcing and energy services company, has started work on the trigeneration plant which will supply the supermarket with heat, electricity and chilled water. 

This is the second energy centre MITIE has developed for Waitrose. The first at the retailer’s East Cowes store will be up and running in December. It is part of wider planned collaboration between MITIE and Waitrose which will help the supermarket chain achieve a carbon emissions reduction of 15 per cent by 2020/2021. 

MITIE’s Asset Management business has developed and will operate the energy plant to power and heat the 36000 sq. ft. store during a 12 year contract. The plant will reduce the store’s typical consumption of grid electricity by 69% and gas by 84%. 

Mike Tivey, Managing Director of MITIE’s Asset Management business, said: “Waitrose’s new energy centres will enable them to benefit from low carbon, efficient and resilient energy, as well as helping to meet their sustainability targets. This partnership is a perfect example of the economic and environmental benefits that decentralised energy is bringing to the private and public sectors.” 

The Bracknell plant, which will source woodchip from local sustainable woodlands, is due to be up and running by the end of March. It will be housed in a new building next to the supermarket with the absorption chiller, dry air cooler and cooling tower located in the main store plant well. 

The energy centre at Waitrose East Cowes will provide the same energy and carbon savings as at Bracknell. Both will be carbon negative stores. 

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Notes for editors

What is MITIE?
We’re the strategic outsourcing company. What does that mean in practice? We manage facilities, properties and assets for our clients across the UK and beyond.

We work with our clients in three ways; some take full advantage of our whole range of expertise, others may only need one aspect of what we do:

Strategy and consultancy
+ Facilities and project management
+ Service delivery

Our strategic input can add value at the highest level by helping clients to manage their assets, while our practical management expertise can save customers money and reduce their carbon emissions. We work with a vast number of clients in every industry across both the public and private sectors and deliver the broadest range of services that can be found in one place: from integrated facilities management to engineering maintenance to lifecycle energy management and much more.

There’s a lot more to MITIE than you probably think. We’re a big company with big ambitions – a leading FTSE 250 support services business, with more than 61,000 people, revenues in excess of £1.9bn, and a reputation for being the best.

Visit us at www.mitie.com