BREST – Built in 1988, the incineration plant for household waste is central to the development of a district heating network and energy savings in the city of Brest, France. This factory, which was originally called Spernot and has now been renamed UVED (energy waste recovery unit), is the anchor of a heating network now covering the equivalent of 20,000 residences in the heart of Brest. The many benefits of a district heating network including energy savings (including fossils), reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and waste recycling convinced the municipality to create the facility, with plans in place to upgrade and expand the facility by 2017.
A 25 km pipeline today supplies heating to four districts in Brest. For this type of installation, welded steel tubes are covered with a layer of insulation to minimize heat loss. As a result, the energy losses along the pipes are less than 10%. Finally, the water leaving the UVED is 107 ° C and, having fulfilled its task, the water which returns back to the facility has a temperature of 72 ° C.
20 000 tonnes of CO2 saved
The garbage collected throughout the Brest municipality, with a population of approximately 400,000 inhabitants in North Finistère, is the source of the heating network. Incineration is used to provide 90% of the energy that feeds the heating system, fuel being a backup resource.
But putting its waste to positive use is not the only advantage for the city: by replacing almost completely the consumption of fossil fuels, the district heating network allows the citizens of Brest to be free from significant price fluctuations for oil or natural gas. The environmental aspect also plays an important role, since the district heating network stops the community from having to burn 10,000 tonnes of oil equivalent each year and emitting 20,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The final selling point is that the Brest district heating network also produces electricity which will meet the lighting needs of 30,000 homes.
For the moment 27 establishments are lucky enough to be connected to the network already, including the Morvan and Cavale Blanche hospitals, the University of Western Brittany, several sets of multi-family residences belonging to Brest Métropole Habitat and numerous condominiums.
The equivalent of 10 000 extra residences by 2017
Building on this successful experience, the city does not plan to stop there: by 2017, the development master plan aims to supply the equivalent of 10,000 additional housing units, for a total of 40 subscribers and 193 delivery points.
To achieve this ambitious goal, 2-3% more connections are added each year, but the program also includes many projects, including the construction of a wood boiler in the UVED, which is expected to be operational by the end of the year.
€20 million investment
In terms of its budget, the heating network in Brest has received 9 million euros in subsidies, a total investment of 20 million, amortized over 25 years.
According to the established plan of action, thus heating network continues to grow and aims to encompass all the biggest consumers of district heating in the city. The naval base, the prison, Ensta and the local gendarmerie are all slated to be the next beneficiaries.
Image source: Flickr (NicholasNCE)
