Energy contract awarded at Royal Albert Dock business district

A £1.7Bn business district currently under construction at London’s Royal Albert Dock has enlisted Vital Energi to undertake a design and build contract alongside Multiplex for the first phase of a £7.9M energy initiative.

Chinese developer ABP named Vital preferred bidder to build, operate and maintain both a temporary energy centre and the district heating and cooling network that will serve the initial phase of the 4.7 million square foot, mixed-use development.

The appointment follows a two year collaboration between the organisations, during which Vital has acted as ABP’s lead design consultant for London. Construction is already underway, and the first phase is currently due for completion by early 2019.

The temporary energy centre will house two 5MW gas boilers, a single 100cu m insulated thermal store, four 1.2MW air-cooled chillers and a BMS control system. In total, 50,000sq m of commercial space will be provided for via a 2.6km district heating and cooling network, complete with packaged plate heat exchangers which will serve each of the buildings connected during Phase I.

What’s more, the scheme’s designers have made fulsome use of 3D modelling software to create bespoke pipework products that curb the need for time-consuming on-site welds.

 

Of the appointment, John Miu – Chief Operating Officer at ABP – had this to say: “We are pleased to be working with Vital and we have built a good relationship with them over the past two years. Progress on the new energy centre is further confirmation that ABP is on course to deliver our first phase on time.”

Rob Callaghan, Regional Director at Vital Energi, added: “The Royal Albert Dock is one of three projects where we are installing both district heating and cooling networks, which is becoming increasingly popular in the UK. It has been fantastic to work alongside other highly acclaimed businesses through the consultancy stage and we look forward to delivering the energy solution for this exciting new development at Royal Albert Dock.”

The Royal Albert Dock development is envisioned as a gateway for Asian businesses looking to establish a European presence. It will form a new business and financial district for London, enabling international businesses to operate across different time zones.

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