Combined Heat & Power, District Heating & Cooling, Demand Side Services, Energy Efficiency

Shetland Heat Energy and Power Ltd

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Here at Shetland Heat Energy and Power Ltd we have been serving cost effective district heating to both domestic and non domestic properties in Lerwick since 1998.

Shetland Heat Energy and Power Ltd | Local Authority

The Lerwick district heating scheme was financed by the Shetland Islands Council Charitable Trust (with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund under the Highland & Islands Objective 1 Partnership and the EU Thermie Fund) as an investment in the Shetland economy. The company Shetland Heat Energy and Power Ltd was set up to run the scheme.

The scheme commenced operation in November 1998 using backup oil fired boilers. In November 1999 the 7 MW waste to energy plant run by Shetland Islands Council became operational, leaving the boiler plant as standby and to meet peak loads. A 15 MWh hot water thermal storage tank was constructed in 2006 at the peak load boiler station. This helps reduce the use of the peak load boilers by storing up heat at night and using it at peak times when the load outstrips output of the waste to energy plant.

The scheme currently has about 26 km of mains and serves all sectors of the economy. The 840 properties connected by February 2007 include a sports centre with swimming pool, 3 schools, the largest pelagic fish factory in Europe, a dairy (using heat for pasteurisation), residential care centres, a library, the main hospital, offices, retail premises, museum, hotels and guest houses, public buildings, council and private housing amongst others. A new housing scheme currently under construction will have 120 houses connected to the network via a pumping station.

Currently all the heat for the Lerwick District Heating Scheme is provided by the Energy Recovery Plant which is run by the local authority.

As we have reached capacity for the heat available from the incinerator, we are not currently undertaking new connections, apart from those previously committed, until a new heat source is developed.  However, we recommend that you still apply so we can gauge where demand is.  This will help us to prioritise the works.

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