Vital Energi awarded design and build contract with Imperial College London
Vital Energi has been awarded a £11.5m design and build contract at Imperial College London, to de-steam the energy centre, saving 2,400 tonnes of carbon a year and helping accelerate the College’s journey to net zero by 2040.
As well as upgrading equipment within the existing energy centre at the South Kensington campus, Vital Energi will be decarbonising multiple campus buildings, including the Central Library, Biochemistry, Engineering, City Guilds building, and the Sherfield Building, which is one of the largest on site.
The project has received grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is administered by Salix Finance on behalf of the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
To make the campus more sustainable, Vital will be replacing three 12MW steam generation boilers with three new 10MW efficient boilers, which will serve as the main source of heat generation in the energy centre. From these a primary circuit of Medium Heat Temperature Hot Water (MTHW) will be installed to three main plate heat exchangers which will serve the entire campus, and then feed into the multiple buildings and faculty facilities. Vital will design and install the Medium Temperature Hot Water (MTHW) and Low Temperature Hot Water (LTHW) network which distributes water around the campus.
Rob Callaghan, managing director of Vital Energi’s London division, said:
“Imperial College London is a world-class university in the heart of the city, and we’re delighted to be helping them make strides on their decarbonisation journey. The College currently has 180oC steam in circulation around the campus and plant rooms, and we’re transitioning the site to low carbon heat and hot water through the replacement of legacy steam generating infrastructure, creating a 21st century energy centre.”
Nick Roalfe, director of Estates Operations at Imperial College London added:
"We’re pleased to have Vital’s expertise. Together we’ve a lot of hard work ahead."
Once the energy centre is complete, it will serve heating and hot water to the whole campus. Work has already commenced on the project with an aim to be complete by winter 2023.
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