Communal Heating

[Tim Godsmark]

Vernon, GLERA’s treasurer has been researching the proposed communal heating system for Crescent House and Cuthbert Harrowing and here are his thoughts:

Today is the closing date for comments on the City's climate Action strategy and I still have not received a response from the Corporation on the amount of CO2 and NOx emissions coming from the EOn Citigen power station in the old Port of London building in Smithfield.  My best estimate is that it produces in excess of 30,000 tons of CO2 each year together with a considerable amount of NOx.  Golden Lane Estate is less than 1Km down wind and the prevailing wind is from the West!  I have summarised the need for the residents of Golden Lane Estate to respond on the Action Strategy as follows below :

• The proposed communal heating project will take surplus heat from the Eon Citigen power station in Smithfield.
• The Citigen power station is fuelled 100% by natural gas, whereas the national grid uses less than 27% natural gas and decreasing with over 50% now coming from renewable sources.
• The Citigen power station is twice as dirty as the electricity coming from the national grid.
• The power station currently operates with just two generators and the additional communal heating for Golden Lane will be used to justify the addition of a further two generators.
• My best estimate is that the current output of CO2 is in excess of 30,000 tons each year plus a substantial amount of NOx and other pollutants.
• This will double with the installation of the further two generators.
• Golden Lane Estate is directly downwind of the exhaust flues in the prevailing wind direction.
• The current estimated cost of the communal heating project is in excess of £15,000 per flat and the estimated fuel cost saving is 10% based on Citigen's figures.
• The saving per resident will be at best £150 each year so it will take 100 years to break even.
• The cost of £15,000 per flat would be better spent in thermally insulating each flat.  This would reduce the fuel cost saving by substantially more than 10% and be more environmentally friendly.
• It is the Government's policy to phase out gas fuelled power stations and the communal heating system may have a very short lifespan.

There has been no discussion with the residents of Golden Lane on this scheme that cannot be justified either financially or environmentally.  It is complete madness to site currently the worst type of environmentally polluting power station in the middle of the City and then to double the size.  My figures are best estimates based on the scant information publicly available and in the absence of definitive information from the Corporation.