E.ON Invests £4 Million Into Ground-Breaking Low-Carbon UK Project

E.ON announces a £4 million investment into the Citigen project in London, one of the UK’s largest low-carbon heating and cooling solutions.

The new £4 million low-carbon heating and cooling system will further improve upon the energy network already serving the City of London district – from the Guildhall to the Barbican.

Clean, cost-effective energy

E.ON has already been providing clean, cost-effective energy to thousands of Londoners

Via Citigen, an underground power plant and engineering marvel, E.ON has already been providing clean, cost-effective energy to thousands of Londoners in the busy Farringdon district for several years.

In 2013, E.ON invested £26 million in the former coal power station to modernize the infrastructure and drastically reduce its carbon output. The new heat pumps will further support the energy network which covers more than 10 miles of underground pipes and provides both heating and cooling.

New low-carbon heating and cooling system installed

Marking the occasion, E.ON revealed a dramatic 16-foot ice sculpture to coincide with the announcement. Taller than a double-decker bus, the giant ice sculpture stood on Charterhouse Square as a live installation, in advance of London Climate Action Week.

E.ON worked with the creatures of the ice sculpture to ensure all aspects including its production and transport were carbon offset, making this a carbon-neutral activity.

Representation of Network of pipes connected to heat pumps

A collection of five key London landmarks were carved into the towering 20-ton sculpture. They sat above a representation of a network of pipes connected to heat pumps, illustrating the low-carbon innovation currently being installed beneath the ground.

But subterranean solutions like our new £4 million heat pumps are crucial in cutting carbon emissions"

Michael Lewis, E.ON’s UK Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said “I’d imagine very few of us have stopped to think about the remarkable energy network that exists right here in the City of London. But subterranean solutions like our new £4 million heat pumps are crucial in cutting carbon emissions, improving local air quality and helping us reach the nation’s net zero targets.”

Recycling waste heat generated

Michael Lewis adds, “Through the technology and team at our Citigen site, we’re recycling the waste heat that’s produced as electricity is generated, as well as drawing up the earth’s natural warmth from 200 meters below the City’s streets.”

He continues, “We hope our giant ice sculpture will prompt both awareness and an appreciation for how homes and workplaces are being heated and cooled here, day in and day out.”

4MW of extra heating capacity produced

The 4MW of extra heating capacity produced by the new technology is enough to supply the demand of 2,300 average UK homes and adds to Citigen’s existing combined heat and power engines, which already produce enough electricity and heating for the equivalent of more than 11,000 homes.

The project forms part of wider efforts by E.ON and the City of London to help meet the UK’s net zero targets and contributes to London’s climate plans.