Kingston Hospital NHS Trust will gain secure environmentally friendly energy supplies through a 15-year PFI agreement which will save around 4,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
The agreement also includes the subsequent operation and maintenance of the new plant and will provide secure and stable future energy supplies to the 632-bed Hospital.
Kingston Hospital, in Surrey, provides diagnostic and treatment services for the 320,000 people in Kingston upon Thames, Esher, Richmond, Roehampton, Putney and South West London and has sought this investment as the existing heating boilers are at the end of their operational life and will not be able to meet the future energy demands of the hospital. As combined heat and power units are typically twice as efficient at generating electricity than conventional generation, the new system will lower the emission of greenhouse gases by around 4,000 tonnes per year and will ensure the vital electricity and heating supplies are maintained to the hospital. By using funding through the PFI scheme, the Trust will be able to focus its capital budget on patient care and gain climate change levy exemption through the use of CHP.
Currently heating is provided by boiler plant that supplies steam for heating, domestic hot water and sterilisation purposes. As part of the ongoing improvements to the hospital’s services and in line with the mandatory NHS targets and the Climate Change Programme, the Trust looked to upgrade its energy facilities and improve continuity of supply, reduce carbon emissions and achieve cost reductions. A key requirement in the Trust’s selection criteria was that the supplier had experience of funding similar schemes based on NHS Standard Form 3 and as a result the Trust selected Dalkia as the preferred supplier.
To meet the hospital’s heating, cooling and electricity requirements Dalkia will design, build, finance, install, operate and maintain a new energy centre that includes a 1.4 MWe gas fired CHP engine and waste heat boiler, two additional boilers, a 330 kW absorption chiller, heat exchangers and high and low voltage switchboard. On completion of the new energy centre Dalkia will provide operation and maintenance of the systems on a mobile remote basis, supply all fuel and set-up the electricity export agreement contract to optimise export revenue and reduce electricity import costs.
Allan Morley, head of estates at the Trust said: “The money provided by PFI will allow us to concentrate our capital on patient care and ensure environmentally friendly future energy provision for the hospital.”
