Viking Energy Network Jarrow Official Royal Opening
The award-winning Viking Energy Network in Jarrow has officially been opened by His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, marking a major milestone for South Tyneside Council, the local community and key stakeholders across the project. Representing Colloide at the event was Paul Quinn, Contracts Manager, who joined project partners, local officials, and school pupils in celebrating this pioneering achievement. The Duke unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion and was received by the Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, Ms Lucy Winskell OBE, who presented the Mayor and Mayoress of South Tyneside.
The Viking Energy Network, which began operating in late 2023, is the UK’s first renewable energy scheme to harness heat from a river to provide low-carbon energy to public buildings. The system extracts water from the River Tyne and uses Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP) technology to deliver heating and power to council-owned facilities, including Jarrow Town Hall, Jarrow Focus leisure centre, and three residential tower blocks.
Built on a brownfield site at Jarrow Staithes, the network integrates multiple energy technologies; a river source heat pump, a combined heat and power (CHP) system for resilience, a 1MW solar farm, battery storage, and an underground district heating network. Together, these innovations are cutting over 1,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, setting a new benchmark for sustainable community heating in the UK.
Colloide’s Role in Delivering the Viking Vision
Colloide was proud to play a key role in the design, delivery, and integration of the system’s energy and water infrastructure, acting as Principal Contractor for South Tyneside Council.
Our team strengthened the existing quay and installed new platforms and pipework for water abstraction, built a new pump station and energy centre complete with M&E systems, and constructed a gas meter house with full connections to the network.
Colloide also developed a new solar panel farm, installed over 3 km of heating pipework and private wire systems, and constructed new substations. The team connected the new energy network to existing building plantrooms, ensuring seamless integration and efficient heat transfer.
Through this project, Colloide showcased its expertise in sustainable infrastructure, and ensured the seamless performance of this complex, multi-technology network.
By combining engineering innovation with practical, real-world solutions, Colloide helped transform the council’s ambition for a greener, more self-sufficient energy model into a fully operational reality. The project is a testament to the power of collaboration between local authorities and forward-thinking engineering partners in tackling climate challenges head-on.
A Model for the Future
The opening ceremony, attended by His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, celebrated not just an engineering milestone but a vision of what’s possible when innovation and sustainability come together. Local schoolchildren joined the event, presenting their creative ideas on green energy and demonstrating how the next generation is already inspired by pioneering projects like Viking Energy Network Jarrow.
For Colloide, being part of a project of this scale reinforces our commitment to supporting clients in achieving Net Zero goals through low-carbon, high-efficiency energy systems. The Viking Energy Network stands as a powerful example of how engineering ingenuity can drive local decarbonisation while delivering real community benefits.
Image credits: All images courtesy of South Tyneside Council, as published on “Royal Opening for Award-Winning Energy Network” on the South Tyneside Council website. Source Webpage
Colloide's Key Energy Projects
Colloide acted as Principal Contractor for South Tyneside Council. Collectively both parties working towards a shared aim of achieving carbon neutral targets.
This innovative network harnesses low-grade heat from the river, utilizing a river source heat pump, combined with a solar farm and a backup combined heat and power (CHP) system. By efficiently extracting and converting heat into usable energy, this groundbreaking district heating system supplies hot water to a range of buildings, including high-rise flats, schools, and sheltered housing.
Colloide took on the role of Principal Contractor for the groundbreaking Bunhill Energy Centre and the second phase of the district-wide heat network project. This innovative endeavor focuses on harnessing the heat generated by the London Underground, making it a pioneering initiative within Europe.
Through this extension, Islington Council gains the ability to connect an additional 454 homes in the area, with the potential to extend its reach to a further 1,000 homes.
Colloide, were awarded the contract to undertake the first phase of upgrades to the Bloomsbury Heat and Power Network (BHPN). This initiative is a collaborative effort between the University of London,University College London (UCL), and SOAS University of London, aiming to decarbonise the Bloomsbury estate by 99%.
The Bloomsbury Heat and Power Network (BHPN), which has been operational for over 80 years, currently serves more than 50,000 students across the participating institutions. The existing gas- and oil-fired systems will be replaced with low-carbon air source heat pumps and electric boilers. This project is expected to drive a substantial reduction in emissions, significantly advancing the universities’ net-zero carbon goals.