Power company E.ON welcomes green light for huge steam pipeline expansion in Sheffield
E.ON has welcomed approval to double the size of its district heating network in Sheffield.
The multi-million pound, five-year plan was granted full approval by planning committees at both Sheffield City Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.
Starting in 2027, the power company says it will build seven miles of pipes, to add to the four miles already fed by its power station at Blackburn Meadows in Tinsley - site of the famous cooling towers demolished in 2008.
Waste wood, shipped in in lorries, is burned to produce high-pressure steam which drives turbines that create electricity.
The steam is also used to provide heat sold to homes and businesses, including IKEA and Forgemasters.
E.On says it supports the city’s drive to be carbon net zero by 2030.
The expansion will mean five years of roadworks to lay pipes, official reports show, in areas including Pitsmoor, Burngreave, Grimesthorpe, the Lower Don Valley, Tinsley and the new Waverley estate, near Sheffield Parkway.
Antony Meanwell, director of heat zone development at E.ON, said: “This is a major step forward in helping Sheffield to reach its environmental ambitions while delivering cleaner and more affordable heating for thousands of homes and businesses.”
The heat network expansion is expected to create about 2,000 jobs and apprenticeships during its lifetime, from project management and engineering to welding and electrics.
Blackburn Meadows power station features a bright orange box on a large building near the Tinsley viaduct at junction 34 of the M1 and Meadowhall shopping centre. It is lit up at night.