E.ON has awarded engineering and construction specialist Merit Holdings a contract to develop a community energy centre as part of a regeneration project for Blackwall Reach in Tower Hamlets, London.
The new energy centre will provide a central source of hot water and heating for 1,575 new homes, community facilities and commercial premises as part of the project which is due to transform the area.
Merit is responsible for the design, supply, installation and management of the Mechanical Electrical and Plant works, as well as full commissioning and testing of the facility.
The site is bounded by the Docklands Light Railway and a number of main roads with constrained space for plant storage, so Merit will undertake much of the construction at its off-site 9,000m² prefabrication centre in Northumberland. The units will then be transported to site with meticulous advance planning and logistics.
Nick Small, Operations Director, Merit Holdings, said: “We are delighted to be working with E.ON on a project that is so vital to the transformation of the local community in Tower Hamlets. Our ability to prefabricate off-site means that we can manage the limitations of site access in central London without disruption or delay.”
E.ON is delivering the district heating scheme which sits at the heart of the new development, using a combined heat and power plant to provide a source of lower carbon heat and hot water.
A network of well-insulated pipes carry heat generated from the energy centre direct to homes and buildings, removing the need for individual property boilers, eliminating maintenance or replacement costs.
Established in 1993, Merit is one of the UK’s leading engineering and construction specialists and prides itself on the ability to design and construct solutions for the most challenging situations.
The company operates from offices across the UK with its own in-house team of designers, pipe work fitters and electricians who are all specially trained in highly regulated industries where quality of workmanship is vital.