Plans for multi-million pound heating facility submitted to Aberdeen City Council
Plans for an environmentally friendly heat and power facility at the University of Aberdeen will be lodged today with Aberdeen City Council.
The £8.4million project involves the proposed installation of a combined heat and power plant and distribution network, which would serve two halls of residence, housing almost 400 students, along with 28 academic buildings, with approximately 2,000 staff. It has been funded by the University and by a grant of £1.75m from a Community Energy Programme Grant from the Energy Savings Trust (a non-profit organisation jointly funded by Treasury and private sector).
The new system offers several key environmental benefits. In addition to the improved air quality, the new system will also bring about better working environment by improvements to the automatic controls.
The proposed project at King's College Campus would involve the installation of new centralised boilers and a combined heat and power (CHP) facility. The new resource would be located in the Bedford Road Yard and would comprise a new building approximately 36m long x 19m wide x 7.5m high, with a chimney height of 24m. The building will be set into the banking and will partly be obscured by existing trees and a wall. The proposed project would also involve the demolition of the chimney (41m tall) at the University's Meston building.
Work is expected to get underway later this year and is due for completion by March 2006. If the initial plan gets the go-ahead, work on the first stage - the construction of the new heating station and chimney at Bedford Road - would begin shortly after a contractor has been appointed towards the end of the year.
Three planning applications would be submitted during the course of the project. These would be for:
· The construction of the new heating station and flue on the Bedford Road site;
· The demolition of existing maintenance offices currently located on the proposed site, and the erection of temporary accommodation for maintenance staff; and
· The demolition of the current Meston chimney.
The project has already received support from the local community, and the University will continue to work with residents and businesses, as well as its own students and staff, to ensure that the project runs smoothly, with minimum disruption.
University Director of Estates, Angus Donaldson, said the project highlighted the University's commitment to protecting and enhancing the local environment.
Mr Donaldson added: "It is proposed that the majority of the distribution pipe work will be replaced during the summer of 2005. The works will be phased in such a way that small groups of buildings or, in some cases, individual buildings, will be taken off steam and put on to hot water in order to avoid unnecessary interruption to service.
"This is a very exciting project for the University and, if it gets the go-ahead, it will further reinforce the University of Aberdeen's pioneering work in environmental sustainability."