'Leading the way' - Pioneering South Tyneside scheme wins prestigious national award

The UK-first Viking Energy Network Jarrow (VENJ) cuts carbon emissions by 1,035 tonnes per year, harnessing low-grade heat from the River Tyne and exporting it to council-owned buildings, including Jarrow Focus leisure centre, three residential tower blocks, Jarrow Business Centre, and Jarrow Town Hall.

And the scheme has been recognised as the Best Climate Action or Decarbonisation Initiative at this year’s Association of Public Sector Excellence (APSE) Awards.

It combines a river source heat pump, a combined heat and power (CHP) back-up system, a 1 megawatt solar farm, and a private wire electrical network with storage battery, is the first of its kind in the UK.

Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council said: “We are thrilled that the Viking Energy Network has been recognised in this way. The APSE award is another accolade for this fantastic scheme.

“We are incredibly proud to be leading the way with this pioneering work to deliver clean energy in the borough, the award is testament to the hard work and dedication of the teams that helped bring this project forward and realise our vision.”

The scheme consists of an energy centre on the banks of the River Tyne, along with an extensive pipe network that distributes the heat across Jarrow. A water source heat pump, using river water as its source of energy, is located at the heart of the energy centre.

Water source heat pumps work by extracting heat from a body of water, compressing it to increase the temperature and then converting it into useful energy in the form of hot water in a network of insulated pipes.

A solar farm provides much of the electricity to power the heat pump, ensuring it runs close to carbon neutral in the summer months.

CHP – which would be used if the solar panels do not generate enough electricity - is a highly-efficient process that harnesses the heat that is a by-product of the electricity generation process, and which would otherwise be wasted.

Cllr Ernest Gibson, Lead member for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change at South Tyneside Council, said: “This network is the first of its kind and is unique in that it will combine three renewable technologies, ensuring minimal use of fossil fuels.

“It demonstrates our commitment to cleaner, more secure energy sources.”