Blog

Vital Energi have begun work on the construction of Phase 1 of Newcastle International Airport’s solar farm project which will begin generating clean energy by early 2023.

Earlier this year, planning permission was secured for a total of four phases, providing in the region of 16MW of energy. Phase 1 will provide approximately 3MW.

This first phase will be a £3.6m investment, of which 50% is funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The commencement of the project marks a major milestone in the Airport’s ambitious strategy to be Net Zero emissions by 2035, ahead of the majority of airports across Europe which have plans to become Net Zero before 2050, and ahead of the Government’s Jet Zero strategy target of 2040.

We have been working to develop and maintain Loughborough University’s district heating network for over 25 years and recently began work on another project, aligned to its commitment to decarbonise its estate to meet the Government’s zero carbon target by 2050, with considerable progress by 2035.

The University are demolishing the John Cooper and John Clements buildings and are planning to replace them with a multi-purpose teaching facility.  Phase 1 will see Vital Energi create a 350m district heating extension which diverts around the demolition site and will allow all connected buildings to continue receiving heat.  Phase 2 will see the buildings earmarked for demolition disconnected from the network and a new connection to the Matthew Arnold building will be created.  Both phases are being delivered at the same time to minimise disruption to the campus.

The instillation is intricate, due to the route clashing with existing services, such as high voltage electricity and water. This saw much of the excavation work done by hand to ensure there was no disruption to service.  Whilst the works will be undertaken during the summer break, the University campus is still busy with graduation and sporting events and Vital Energi worked with the client to minimise any disruption to the campus.

Works are currently underway and progressing well, with the project expected to be delivered over a 9-week period.

Vital Energi are delighted to announce we have been awarded a 3-year Contract Energy Management (CEM) contract at Marylebone Square, London. The development is a beautiful mixed-use building, located just behind Marylebone High Street and comprises 79 apartments and 23 commercial properties including boutiques, restaurants, a gym and a versatile community hall.

The fully packaged CEM contract means Vital are Concord London and Moxon Street Residential’s one point of call for all their operation and maintenance, metering and billing and customer services requirements at the central London development.

Vital’s expert Operation & Maintenace Team will manage the full services of the project, from site mobilisation and set up, asset management through to regular efficiency reporting.  Services include planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance works, 24-hour system monitoring and the servicing of the heat interface units to ensure the efficient and uninterrupted supply of heat to the residents of Marylebone Square.

Furthermore, to deliver accurate metering and billing services, Vital Energi billing systems will interface with a third-party metering system which was already installed on-site. This demonstrates Vital’s ability to adopt and collaborate with other metering systems in the market and allows the clients the flexibility to choose the best metering and billing platform for them, regardless of the installed hardware.

Vital Energi have been awarded the £12m design and build contract for block A, the first of seven blocks of Berkeley Homes’ Oval Village development, located in Central London.

Comprising 1,309 new homes, Oval Village by Berkeley Homes, spans seven buildings, with residents-only leisure facilities, over 15,000 square metres of community, commercial, office and retail space, including an on-site Tesco.  Located adjacent to the iconic Oval international cricket ground, the development also boasts a hectare of landscaped gardens, creating tranquility within the heart of London.

Thanks to their long-standing relationship with Berkeley Homes spanning 15 years, Vital Energi once again welcomed the opportunity to practice their sustainable energy expertise through their in-house mechanical and electrical design team, taking the project from the initial RIBA stage 4, through to RIBA stage 5 for the design, install and commissioning on Oval Village block A.

We have completed the design for the temporary energy centre, which is located on level one at the heart of block A, as well as the design and build of a buried district heating system, the ground floor switch room, which includes landlord and residential panels, the generator room, leisure facilities, and two floors of office space.

In addition, we will also be installing the mechanical and electrical infrastructure for 344 apartments which are serviced by 5 cores and rise to 18 floors, and the on-site Tesco and marketing suite.

Graham Cook, Project Director at Berkeley Homes, commented:

“We look forward to working with Vital on this complex first phase of the masterplan. Vital worked hard to secure the tender and have shown pragmatism and innovation in tackling the challenges so far.”

Oval Village block A is due for completion in August 2022.

Energy services company Vital Energi Group today (10 March) announced the appointment of Cécile Parker to the role of Chief Financial Officer to help drive its business growth and decarbonise the UK’s energy systems.

Cécile has a wealth of multinational board-level experience, with a track record of raising funds to enable growth organically and through mergers and acquisitions. She enjoys strong relationships with private equity firms, major banks, financial institutions and global payment providers.

Her appointment is described by the company’s CEO as a strong signal of plans for “transformational growth”, as it looks to expand its offering from being a delivery partner to being an asset owner.

Based in Blackburn, Lancashire, and with offices in Scotland and London, the Vital Group provides multi-technology generation, distribution and consumption solutions to healthcare, education, industrial, commercial, local authorities and residential sectors in the UK.

Cécile Parker has been working as CFO at Europe’s largest supplier of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul products and services, where she was instrumental in turning the business around and doubling the company’s profitability.

Previously she was Group Finance Director at a critical asset business which provided commercial laundry, catering and heating solutions. She has also served in senior finance roles in the construction, telecommunications, food and drink industries, and is a two-time winner of the Industrial Engineering CFO of the Year award.

According to Cécile Parker:

“The Vital Group has a huge opportunity to drive forward the decarbonisation agenda in the UK. I’m relishing the opportunity to help steer the company in a bold new direction – a direction that is of increasing interest. The UK has ambitions to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and within the Vital Group we have the expertise to help develop the low-carbon energy infrastructure required. It’s an important moment to be joining a company that has a big role to play.”

Vital Energi’s Building Services apprentice, Ibrahim Qadir is set for a 23,000km globe-trotting research project after winning the prestigious Ken Dale Travel Bursary from CIBSE.

Ibrahim won the bursary after delivering a presentation on his research proposal which will investigate the different approaches to artificial intelligence and machine learning in the building services industry.

Ibrahim will now travel to Singapore, The United Arab Emirates and Sweden, where he will meet a range of people, visit projects and study how AI is implemented in differing climates.

Upon his return to the UK, Ibrahim will produce a paper summarising his findings and present it at the President’s Prize Dinner in London in October 2024.

The Ken Dale Travel Bursary offers young building services engineers the chance to experience technical, economic, environmental, social and political conditions in other countries, and to examine how these factors affect the practice of building services engineering.

Partners from Peel NRE, Vital Energi, and Ener-Vate, came together to mark the start of the ground works at the land off Great Howard Street.

The new energy centre will be home to one of the UK’s largest two stage water source heat pumps, taking heat from the water in the nearby Leeds/Liverpool Canal where it is fed into the 3MW heat pump and used to heat the surrounding homes and businesses via a 6 km (3km flow/3km return) district heating network, before being released out into Trafalgar Docks.

In addition to the new energy centre, Vital Energi will be extending the district heating system throughout the area.  Phase 1 saw Vital Energi install 2km of highly insulated district heating pipework which included a technically challenging section 5.5m below Liverpool’s Great Howard street.

The new expansion will add an extra 1.2 km of district heating pipework which will run throughout Trafalgar & Central Docks and bring low-carbon heating and hot water to more residents and businesses.

The district heating network will provide low carbon heat and hot water for up to 6,700 homes and 1.3 million square feet of commercial space at Peel’s Liverpool Waters development as well as wider domestic and commercial buildings across Liverpool. This initial phase of the project could supply 20GWh of heat every year, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and saving 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year, with planning permission in place to expand the project to supply around 45GWh.

Myles Kitcher, Managing Director, Peel NRE said: “Emissions from heat are the single biggest contributor to UK carbon emissions, accounting for around a third of the nation’s carbon footprint. Finding alternative low-carbon sources of heat will be vital if we’re to stay on track to achieve net zero by 2050. This ambitious project has the potential to provide enough low carbon heat for over a fifth of the homes in Liverpool, cementing the city at the heart of the region’s decarbonisation journey.”

Chris Capes, Director for Development at Liverpool Waters said: “Liverpool Waters strives for excellence in terms of sustainability and climate resilience. Part of our approach involves a focus on building efficiency and the implementation of ambitious site-wide strategies.  This new energy centre, part of the wider Mersey Heat network, will help to bring low-carbon heating and hot water to residents and commercial customers across Liverpool Waters. This is a critical step on our journey to delivering the sustainable regeneration of Liverpool’s northern docklands.”

Vital Energi are supporting The Christie NHS Foundation Trust on their journey to net zero through the installation of a multi technology energy solution at The Christie Hospital, which will significantly reduce their carbon footprint and deliver financial savings of over £1m a year.

As one of Europe’s leading cancer centres treating over 44,000 patients a year, The Christie requires a resilient energy supply to ensure patient services can be delivered at all times.

Vital Energi supported the Trust through their PSDS application, from which they obtained £7.9m of grant funding to support the installation of a self-funding fully integrated energy solution comprising a unique blend of renewable technologies.

To deliver significant carbon and financial savings whilst improving the energy supply resilience of The Christie, Vital Energi will update the hospital’s energy infrastructure and integrate complimentary technologies including water and air source heat pumps (totalling 582kW), a 309kWp solar PV array, and a 2MW battery energy storage system (BESS).

As well as enabling the site to maximise the use of onsite generation and help the hospital avoid import electricity at the most expensive times, the BESS will provide flexibility during times of high demand and help create a smart grid from which the local community will benefit.

The Christie will also benefit from reduced running costs and enhanced patient care thanks to a range of energy conservation measures. These include the upgrade of 3,000 lights to efficient LED fittings, optimisation and upgrades to the existing Building Energy Management Systems, the replacement of air handling unit fans units with low-energy fan systems (EC Fans), and pipework insulation upgrades across the hospital estate.

The Christie is Vital Energi’s charity of choice, so this is a project close to their heart. Over the last 15 years, Vital employees have raised in excess of £40,000 for the charity through a range of initiatives from bake sales and half marathons, to three peaks challenges, Christmas donations, and raffles.

Vital Energi’s extensive track record of delivering complex energy solutions within hospital environments throughout the UK has allowed them to develop a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of the NHS. They recognise the need for the Trust to maintain patient services at all times and have worked with staff to develop strategies to deliver the works without impacting on the normal operations of the hospital.

Strategic investment marks major milestone as company seeks to transform stalled biomass facility into operational energy-from-waste infrastructure.

Vital Energi, a leading provider of energy infrastructure solutions, has successfully acquired the Port Clarence biomass facility in Teesside, marking a significant milestone in the company’s strategic asset ownership growth plans.

The acquisition follows Vital Energi’s successful raise of £175 million through a Nordic Bond issue. The bond, one of the largest Sterling-denominated Nordic Bond raises in the UK energy infrastructure sector, demonstrates strong international investor confidence in Vital Energi’s track record, expert teams, and growth strategy. The facility has been acquired from Nuveen Infrastructure / Glenmont Infrastructure.

Strategic asset ownership journey

Port Clarence represents the next phase of Vital Energi’s evolution from energy solutions provider to significant asset owner, following the successful commissioning of the Drakelow energy-from-waste facility. Vital Energi will further invest in the optimisation of the Drakelow EfW plant to improve its productivity and returns, ensuring it continues to deliver robust operational and financial performance as part of the company’s growing portfolio. Drakelow processes up to 169,000 tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) and produces up to 18MWe electrical capacity, whereas Port Clarence will produce over 30MWe upon completion – a substantial step-change in scale and ambition. The energy generated by both facilities will be exported back to the national grid.

Site transformation

The Port Clarence facility, which has remained dormant since 2019, will be converted from a biomass plant to process RDF, addressing a critical need for processing residual waste within UK waste infrastructure. The conversion will transform what had been a series of stalled development attempts by previous operators into operational infrastructure.

The facility will process up to 320,000 tonnes of residual waste per annum under a 10-year 270,000 tonnes fuel supply agreement with N+P, with fuel sourced from their Hartlepool facility and strategic supply chain partners. This will significantly reduce both landfill disposal and the export of waste materials.

Project delivery and timeline

With construction over 90% complete, the project benefits from existing grid connections and all required environmental consents are already in place. The conversion is expected to be completed within 18 months, with first waste anticipated in Q4 2026 and full operational capacity by Q1 2027.

Economic impact

The project will create over 30 long-term skilled positions during the operational phase, with local contractors including Eastgate Engineering and BrandSafway already engaged in supporting the conversion works. The facility will contribute baseload renewable energy generation to the national grid, supporting UK energy security objectives.

Financial flexibility and future growth

Unlike many competitors operating under restrictive institutional investor mandates, Vital Energi’s Nordic Bond structure maintains financial flexibility for future strategic investments and partnerships.

“This financing approach allows us to continue pursuing opportunities that align with our growth strategy while maintaining the ability to work with diverse funding partners on future projects,” added Ashley. “As we approach our 25th anniversary, this represents both a culmination of our journey and a platform for continued expansion.”

The transaction was completed with legal advisory support from Squire Patton Boggs, DLA Piper, and Thommassen, with operational partnerships including N+P and Able Ports.