River Tyne could hold key to powering new homes, council told

A major development on the banks of the River Tyne in Newcastle could be heated by the river itself.

Councillors are exploring the possibility of harnessing the power of the river used to generate energy for the Forth Yards site behind Newcastle Central Station, which is set to include more than 1,000 new homes as part of the wider development

Heat energy would be extracted from water in the river, which would then be delivered as heating and hot water to nearby buildings before the water is returned to the river itself.

Similar projects have been introduced in Gateshead and at the Viking Energy Network in Jarrow.

Councillors heard on Thursday (18 April) how the Tyne could play a critical role in providing low carbon area to an area seen as critical to the future growth of the city.

Newcastle City Council's energy specialist Adam Karimian said that while these schemes take a “long time” to develop and are expensive to install, he hoped designs could be ready by the end of 2025 - and could be more cost effective for the area in the long term.

Mr Karimian said: “On Forth Yards the river is an option. But it may be that it is not the right option, it may be that the air source is more credible. We assess everything on the economics and the cost over the lifetime of the scheme.”

“Economically, the closer it is [to the river] the better, but it is not always possible. But the river is close enough to Forth Yards to hopefully make it a viable option.”

Other areas where the technology could be deployed include the area around the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Newcastle University.

Mr Karimian said the council would have to comply with “strict limits” set by the Environment Agency if the project was to go ahead, meaning that only three degrees of heat could be removed from the water before it is pumped back into the river.

For areas of the city further away from the river, using water from former mineworks is also being considered.

Mr Karimian said: "The technology has been proven across the river – it is the same seams and the same workings [here]. [But] each project is evaluated separately.

“Rivers won’t work for some projects in the north [of Newcastle] but it might for a project nearby. Every option is looked at and judged on its own merits.”

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