Anyone who follows local media closely will have heard this week about exciting plans that could see a multi-million pound sustainable energy development created in the heart of Norwich. The £325million project, Generation Park Norwich, is being led by NPH (Norwich) LLP in a partnership which includes the University of East Anglia.

If given the go ahead the scheme would see the development of a low carbon, renewable, clean Community Energy Centre with the capability of generating enough energy to meet the needs of 88,000 homes – more than the total number of households currently in Norwich). It is predicted that some of this energy will be supplied directly to local businesses, with the remainder fed back into the National Grid.

“The proposal for the Utilities Site is an enormous creative and innovative step on the way to making Norwich a truly green and sustainable city. It takes the power of UEA's world-leading environmental research and harnesses it to the benefit of the people of the city. It deserves strong support.” – Rt. Hon. Charles Clarke

It is proposed that the 33 acre project could include:

• A Community Energy Centre
• An Energy Research and Development Centre, led by the UEA
• A data and education centre for use by visitors and schools
• 120 low carbon homes, of which one third would be affordable
• Student accommodation
• 1km of riverside walks
• 750 metres of dedicated cycle paths linking into the existing Sustrans network
• A swing bridge across the river for vehicles
• A pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Norwich to Great Yarmouth railway line
• Extensive areas of landscaping to create parkland and enhanced ecological habitats

Straw Pellets

The Community Energy Centre would be fuelled by low carbon straw pellets, sourced from UK farms. Combusting surplus straw from food crops is recognised by many environmental organisations as one of the most beneficial forms of energy available, mainly due to the fact that the same amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) is released into the atmosphere during the combusting process as is absorbed from the atmosphere by the next year's crop.

Straw is baled by farmers or contractors, taken to palletising plants and from there would be delivered to Norwich by environmentally friendly train in the form of straw pellets. It is estimated that on average 200,000 tonnes of pellets would be delivered to the facility annually using four or five trains per week. This straw equates to less than 2% of annual production in England and the use of straw for energy creation is supported by both the National Farmers Union and the Country Land and Business Association.

District Heating

One of the by-products of generating power at the Community Energy Centre is heat. This heat would be harnessed to provide a district heating system for the residents of Norwich. District heating schemes are a network of well-insulated underground pipes that provide homes and businesses with a secure supply of heat and hot water. This scheme would be provided by E.ON who have experience of managing large scale projects of this kind across the UK and Europe.

“This project sets out a bold statement of intent to generate energy for Norwich, in Norwich, developing a lower carbon heating and power source and at the same time revitalising a former energy generation site.

Similar projects, where cities and communities take greater control over how their energy is generated and how it is consumed, are commonplace in places such as Sweden, frequently listed as one of the world's greenest countries. The concept could be a model for making British cities equally sustainable by meeting the triple challenge of keeping energy secure, affordable and lower carbon.” - Jeremy Bungey, Head of Community Energy at E.ON

Jobs

It is expected that around 250 jobs would be created during the construction phase of the project, with a further 500 jobs created once the scheme is complete. In addition to that the facilities being developed will offer a rich source of skills training, helping to educate future generations. When it comes to recruitment for the project we hope to be involved in sourcing candidates for both the construction and operation phases so, should the project get the go ahead, be sure to keep an eye on our website for possible vacancies.

You can find out more about the project by visiting www.generationparknorwich.com.