ENGIE has been awarded a contract to carry out a full refurbishment of the Leeds Generating Station Complex (GSC), jointly owned by the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. On completion of the refurbishment, ENGIE will operate and maintain (O&M) the facility for 25 years, guaranteeing energy savings during this period.
Located at Leeds General Infirmary, adjacent to the University of Leeds campus, the GSC generates more than 50 MW of steam as well as electrical power, hot water, chilled water, and compressed air for the two sites. The refurbishment will include a new 33kV high-voltage connection and sub-station in its first phase. The project will also involve replacement of heating, power and cooling equipment, including more than15 MW of combined heat and power (CHP) units.
ENGIE will ensure the GSC remains operational throughout the refurbishment phase to minimise disruption to the university and the hospital. A dedicated team of over 20 ENGIE operational and project staff are based at the GSC.
Chris Slater Associate Director of Commercial & Procurement for Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said: “This contract underpins the future development of the Leeds General Infirmary site. Not only does it provide a resilient and safe power supply for our patients but also enables the Trust to introduce new technologies which will keep Leeds at the forefront of clinical innovation. In addition, Leeds Teaching Hospital and the University of Leeds partnership has provided wider citywide benefits, one of which is lower predictable costs of energy for many years to come.”
Dennis Hopper, Director of Facilities Management, University of Leeds said: “Over the coming years the University is investing £520m in a transformative development programme that will result in a world class campus at the heart of a vibrant city. The GSC investment is part of this ambition and when complete, will not only boost the resilience of present campus operations, but will provide the necessary infrastructure to support the University’s development.”
Paul Rawson, ENGIE’s UK Divisional CEO for Energy Solutions commented: “As a leader in decentralised energy we are pleased to have secured this long term contract which will provide low carbon, efficient supply of energy to the campus site supporting their operations. This project will deliver the reliability and resilience demanded, whilst our ongoing management of the GSC will ensure the plant continues to deliver optimum energy performance with minimum carbon emissions into the future.”