19 February 2020 | Prithvi Pandya
Engie and a consortium of partners have been awarded a two-year demonstrator project to design a zero-carbon smart energy system for Rugeley in Staffordshire.
The energy and regeneration specialist and a diverse group of partners will design a Smart Local Energy System (SLES) to bring benefits to both the town and future residents of a proposed mixed-use development at the old Rugeley Power Station site.
The consortium plans to deliver energy to more than 2,000 new low-carbon homes, including later living communities, and a number of commercial buildings.
The SLES aims to present an "innovative, replicable and scalable energy solution - with new energy business models, local energy marketplaces and inclusive design offering benefits to the surrounding community".
It is hoped that the scheme will help to establish a standard for many similar UK places to transition to zero carbon.
Rugeley is a proposed Energy Innovation Zone, which will allow further new approaches to energy distribution to be trialled in the town.
Chris Langdon, development director at Engie, said: "The SLES project has enabled us to create an inclusive, exciting and capable consortium to support the regeneration and growth of Rugeley, and provides a unique addition to our work in reimagining and repurposing the former Rugeley Power Station.
"We will collaborate closely with our partners to ensure success as we seek to accompany the communities of Rugeley towards a zero-carbon future with improved wellbeing."
Nicola Lovett, CEO of Engie UK, said: "Collaborations such as these are fundamental to our innovation strategy - using collective thinking to solve the UK's biggest challenges.
"The project is perfectly aligned with our broader strategy of making the zero-carbon transition a reality for UK places and businesses. It will add to the community benefits from the development of the former power station and create a blueprint for scalable, replicable, energy system retrofit solutions for a lower-carbon UK."