Glenrothes Heat, a project to provide heating for buildings in Glenrothes from a biomass plant at nearby Markinch, has taken an important step forward.
A planning application has been submitted to Fife Council for the construction of the heat distribution network for the district heat scheme in the Fife town.
It will supply low-carbon heat and hot water to a range of business,
community, public sector and domestic customers in the centre of Glenrothes.
Consultants WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff said the proposal involves using heat from the RWE npower biomass Combined Heating and Power (CHP) plant at Markinch.
The heat will be transferred to an energy centre containing back-up gas boilers, pumps and controls.
It will then be distributed from the energy centre throughout Glenrothes town centre through underground pipes.
The Glenrothes Heat project is a partnership between Fife Council, German utility giant RWE and the Scottish Government.
It is examining the technical and business case for a district heating
network from the RWE Markinch Biomass CHP plant.
The £200 million-plus plant generates enough energy to power around 100,000 homes and is the largest of its type in the UK.
Tullis Russell’s paper mill at Markinch went into administration shortly after the biomass plant opened, though Markinch still supplies heat and power to Glenrothes Paper.
The scheme has entered a 12 week consultation period and an event will be held on Wednesday March 29, from 3.30pm to 8pm at Rothes Halls, Glenrothes, at which the project team will answer questions.
Councillor John Wincott, Fife Council spokesperson for environment and transportation, said: “Fife Council is committed to tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions.
“We’ve set ourselves the target of reducing our carbon emissions by 42% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.
“Glenrothes Heat will contribute
significantly to the climate change
targets and could potentially reduce fuel poverty in Glenrothes households and provide cost savings for businesses.”