Competition: Breakthrough 4: Catalyst
Amount awarded: £1,978,515
Led by: Severn Trent Water
Partners: Anglian Water, Berlin Wasser, E.ON Energy Solutions Limited, Horiba MIRA Ltd, Northern Ireland Water, Scottish Water, Spring Innovation Ltd, Thames Water, Uisce Éireann
Estimated completion date: February 2026
Water cycle tag: Waste water network
Wastewater holds a substantial amount of heat energy that could help the UK in its efforts to reduce carbon emissions. However, this resource remains largely untapped. The goal of this project is to encourage widespread adoption of in-sewer heat recovery by showcasing a reliable technical and commercial solution.
“This project has the potential to for help the UK and its efforts in decarbonisation of energy. Heat from the sewers is an untapped resource of safe and consistent heat, which can play a part in reducing reliance on fossil fuels and provide a renewable source of energy..” – Pete Vale, Carbon and Circular Economy Architect, Severn Trent Water
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The Tapping into Sewer Heat project is exploring the potential of recovering low-carbon heat from wastewater networks to support the UK’s net zero goals. Over the past year, we’ve made significant progress in design development and stakeholder engagement. We’ve now secured Early Contractor Involvement with our design and build contractor. Our contractor has completed the design for the installation and installed a penstock in the sewer to enable isolation of the pipeline during installation. We’re working closely with land agents and project partners to secure permissions and finalise commercial agreements. This project continues to demonstrate the potential of sewer heat recovery as a scalable, sustainable energy solution for the future.
