New alliance to tackle Climate Emergency with low carbon heating for thousands of Enfield homes

A major step forward in reducing carbon emissions and tackling the Climate Emergency has been taken by Energetik, North London Waste Authority (NLWA) and LondonEnergy. A long-term heat supply agreement via district heating has been finalised, cementing their partnership and guaranteeing a low carbon heating and hot water supply in Enfield.

The agreement will provide a sustainable solution for the heating and hot water needs of more than 10,000 homes and businesses across the Meridian Water development, with the capacity to supply up to 30,000 more homes across the borough and beyond. Upon completion of the construction phase, Energetik will capture and use up to 60MW of otherwise untapped heat energy generated at NLWA’s replacement Energy Recovery Facility in Edmonton EcoPark.

This agreement is extremely positive for Enfield and North London, with all outcomes seamlessly aligned with Enfield Council’s 2020 Climate Action Plan objectives, the Mayor of London’s Environment Plan as well as UK government's national decarbonisation targets.

LondonEnergy already generates energy from the waste that cannot be recycled at Edmonton EcoPark in the form of electricity, equivalent to powering 80,000 homes. With the increased efficiency of a new, modern Energy Recovery Facility, enough power can be generated for up to 127,000 homes through the national grid, and this agreement will further increase the energy efficiency by harnessing heat energy which will be used locally. This strengthens Enfield’s energy resilience and embraces a circular economy approach by retrieving the maximum value from non-recyclable waste produced by over 2 million north Londoners.

As London’s population grows, the provision of sustainable heat is essential for the transition to a net-zero carbon economy. With domestic heating from natural gas representing a large percentage of carbon emissions, this low carbon alternative is an extremely encouraging step forward in the effort to tackle the Climate Emergency and decarbonise heat and buildings.

The reduction of emissions will be significant: homes connected to the Energetik heat network will reduce their consumption of fossil fuel and their carbon emission from heat by up to 92.3%. Moreover, with individual gas boilers no longer needed, the emission of excessive nitrogen oxides can be avoided, significantly benefiting local air quality and overall home safety for residents.

Cllr Clyde Loakes, Chair of NLWA says: “This partnership with Energetik is a landmark moment for our Project. It’s a huge step forward in our efforts to tackle the Climate Emergency, ensuring that thousands of local homes in Enfield will benefit from low carbon heat from our world-class Energy Recovery Facility. By unlocking this major heat network, our facility will be one of the greenest and most advanced of its type in the UK.”  

Jim Kendal, Managing Director of LondonEnergy says: “The signing of the agreement cements LondonEnergy’s commitment to provide sustainable and affordable energy for north London communities. Sharing the heat energy generated by the new Energy Recovery Facility is the natural next step in our contribution to ‘Powering a cleaner future London’. “

Jayne Clare, Managing Director at Energetik says: “Finalising this agreement marks a major milestone for Energetik and all our partners. It will allow Energetik to utilise a local, sustainable heat source and supply thousands of homes with low carbon heat and hot water, generating huge carbon savings and contributing towards Enfield’s climate action plan objectives.”