‘Flagship’ heat network could utilise Worthing’s mains sewer

Worthing Borough Council has secured funding to help develop the project in order to cut down carbon emissions from its own buildings and others in the Civic Quarter.

A heat network would not just to drive decarbonisation of the council’s estate but other public buildings around the town as well as several key development sites.

The proposed primary heat source would be the extraction of waste heat via a heat pump from the Worthing mains sewer.

According to officers this would be one of the first innovations of its kind in England, although a successful project operates in Scotland and the technology is well used in mainland Europe.

The sewer source heat pump would take advantage of warm water passing through the main sewer which runs beneath the high street.

An analysis of main sewer temperature, flow and depth is currently being undertaken.

The planned development of the Worting Integrated Care Centre and multi-storey car park planned off Stoke Abbott Road would ‘offer an ideal opportunity to integrate construction of a heat network simultaneously’.

Phase one pipework could connect to Worthing Hospital, Davison High School, Splashpoint Leisure Centre, Teville Gate, Union Place, Pavilion Theatre,. Stagecoach depot site, Worthing Police Station and the Connaught Theatre.

According to officers: “Development of such scalable infrastructure, will provide a platform for cost effective decarbonisation of heat for multiple organisations, providing the leadership needed to help accelerate reductions in area-wide carbon emissions.”

They are seeking approval to finalise a draft outline business case and apply for government funding ahead of the next stages of commercialisation.

The council would continue to perform the role of project sponsor, progressing further applications for funding.

In order to deliver the heat network it would then procure a private sector investor to finance, design, fund, build and operate the project under a long term concession arrangement.

A decision on the project’s next steps is set to be made by Worthing executive members next Tuesday (March 2).