A major new energy centre which will cut carbon emissions almost by half will be developed at the world renowned Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Mitie, the FTSE 250 strategic outsourcing and energy services company, has been awarded preferred bidder status to develop and operate the energy centre over a 25 year period. It will be developed in partnership with the NHS Carbon and Energy Fund which supports projects meeting a certain level of carbon savings.
The energy centre will provide low carbon heating, hot water and electricity for Addenbrooke’s and Rosie hospitals. This will save Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) almost 30,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, helping the Trust to surpass their sustainability targets. This will mean a 47 per cent cut in carbon emissions over the contract term.
Grid electricity and gas consumption will be cut by more than 50 per cent, providing the Trust with greater energy independence and protecting them from rising energy prices.
The energy centre has been designed with the potential to provide energy to future developments on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Mike Tivey, managing director of Mitie’s Asset Management division, said:
“This will be a state-of-the-art energy centre which will deliver significant economic and sustainability benefits. In an increasingly volatile energy environment, this will provide CUH with increased energy resilience and predictably priced energy over the long term.”
Carin Charlton, director of Estates and Facilities Management at CUH added:
“This is a very exciting project which enables us to cut our carbon footprint significantly, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and exceed sustainability targets. By utilising a number of different energy efficient technologies, we can potentially deliver this low carbon, low cost energy to further NHS development on the Biomedical Campus.”
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.
With advances in technologies, the new energy centre will house a brand new incinerator, a highly efficient Rolls-Royce Combined Heat and Power plant and will also use wood chip as a fuel source.
Besides the development of the energy centre, Mitie will also reduce energy demand on the existing CUH campus through a number of initiatives including a major lighting upgrade throughout the hospital.
Construction is expected to start at the end of the year and the new energy centre will be fully operational by 2015.
Fact box
- Almost 30,000 tonnes of CO2 saving a year, equating to a total cut in their current carbon emissions by 47 per cent;
- The carbon savings the energy centre will deliver will help Addenbrooke’s Hospital surpass its NHS sustainability targets by 27 per cent;
- A 50 per cent reduction in energy consumption over 25 years.
-ENDS-
For further information, contact:
Bell Pottinger
Chris Watts
D: 020 7861 2859
E: cwatts@bell-pottinger.co.uk
