Tallaght District Heating Scheme - Phase 1
In our ongoing pursuit of a sustainable future with regards to the construction industry, the use of renewable energy is a critical factor. District heating schemes will play an important part in reducing carbon emissions and will help to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Initiatives such as the Tallaght District Heating Scheme will play a vital role in transforming our energy landscape and will help create a more efficient and environmentally friendly communities.
Trading as Heatworks, Ireland’s first publicly owned, not-for-profit energy company, is now providing low-carbon heat to public buildings in the area. The development of this innovative, low-carbon initiative has been led by SDCC with the assistance of its energy agency, Codema.
The network initially will provide heat to 32,800m2 of public buildings. Customers of Heatworks include SDCC and Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). Buildings heated by this project include County Hall, Tallaght County Library, the SDCC Innovation Centre- Work IQ, and 133 affordable apartments, which will connect in early 2025. The university buildings include the Main Building, the Sports-Science, Health and Recreation Building, followed by the new Catering College (CAET), to be completed in 2024. The Council has estimated that, over the lifetime of the scheme, it could also heat 2,000 to 3,000 apartments.
Image by Fortum
The network uses excess heat from Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) data centre to provide low carbon heat to the network customers. AWS has included heat-collection systems in their new facility which provides this recycled heat at no cost as part of its broader sustainability commitments. HeatWorks will assist Ireland in meeting its EU 2030 national heating and carbon-reduction targets. It is estimated that in this first phase of delivery, the carbon emissions reduction in the Tallaght area will be over 1,500 tonnes per year.
South Dublin County Council initiated this pilot project, to exemplify the environmental value and potential of District Heating in Ireland. The collaboration between SDCC, AWS engineering teams, Fortum, and the Dublin energy agency Codema has resulted in a low-carbon solution, optimising the potential of recyclable heat, combined with innovative heat-pump technology – the first example of its kind in Ireland.
We at Principal are extremely proud to have been involved as main contractor in such an innovative project and look forward to schemes like this being replicated throughout the country.
Minister for the Environment, Climate & Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan TD and the Mayor of South Dublin County, Councillor Emma Murphy, officially opening the Tallaght District Heating Network at the Heatworks Energy Centre in Tallaght. Photo by Ben Ryan