It’s fantastic to see the innovative new Paul Younger centre and the wider system complete and operational, and only weeks after the opening of our Viking Energy Network in Jarrow – the first of its kind in the UK. In 2019, we declared a climate emergency and set ourselves an ambitious target to become carbon neutral by 2030. Our renewable energy centres are just one of the ways we are using modern technology to meet our energy demands in a more sustainable way and creating a cleaner, greener Borough for our residents.”
Alongside the design and build of the energy centre, Vital Energi has also installed a district heating network which distributes heat to the customers including the residents of Durham Court and Hebburn Central Leisure Centre, with potential for further connections to be added in the future.
Electricity generated locally using solar panels and a Combined Heat and Power unit is helping to power the system.
Inside the new Paul Younger Energy Centre
The building is named after Hebburn-born Professor Paul Younger, one of the region’s pioneering scientists, who played a key role in the bid to make Newcastle a City of Science and Technology.
The scheme, which secured over £4.8million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund, has been developed in collaboration with the Coal Authority and Durham University.