Global resource management company Veolia announced it has passed a new milestone for delivering net zero power by delivering more than six times the renewable electricity to the grid than it uses across its 400 offices and sites across the UK.
The firm said it generates 856 GWh of electricity - using a combination of biomass, landfill gas, biogas and Energy Recovery facilities (ERF) - that qualifies under the Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme, and that it is able to supply a secure annual equivalent to power 240,000 homes.
This exported electricity is in addition to the 2.5TWh of CHP, low carbon and renewable generation that serves around 500 customer sites spanning the industrial, healthcare, water, leisure, district heating, education and retail sectors, according to Veolia. This output includes 134MWe of generation capacity using biogas, biomass, and solar sources which it said saves around 200,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year for Veolia's customers.
An added benefit of this electricity is the cogeneration of green heat with some of the plants supplying communities and businesses using district heating networks. These deliver around 2 GWh of heat equivalent to the heating needed for 120,000 homes. As an estimated 20% of the nation’s carbon emissions are generated by domestic heating, due to a low standard of energy efficiency, using district heating from these sources lowers carbon emissions and can help reduce cost, and fuel poverty, in vulnerable groups.
Commenting on the achievement, Gavin Graveson, Veolia senior executive vice president Northern Europe zone said: “Energy market volatility, and the ability to deliver stable power has highlighted the importance of reliable sources of energy that can support our modern lives and the UK power infrastructure. By actively developing renewable and low carbon generation we can already produce the affordable and sustainable energy that is essential to support communities and businesses.
“As more baseload generators such as nuclear, coal and CCGTs retire, stable renewable sources are set to play an increasingly important role as demand increases with population growth, adoption of electric vehicles, electricity to heat homes, and increased demand of the rapidly expanding internet of things. We are already demonstrating what can be achieved today to secure sustainable independent power for the UK, but to accelerate this development the UK now needs to act on the incentives for investment in decarbonisation, and realise the net zero future for power."
Veolia passes new milestone for delivering UK renewable electricity
