The state-of-the-art Energy Centre will provide an efficient low-carbon heating and cooling system for venues across the Olympic Park during the Games. After 2012, it will support the new buildings and communities that will develop in the area.
Having been operational since October 2010, the facility has already been providing an early legacy of sustainable energy across the site, helping to reduce the carbon emissions of the Olympic Park well before the Games.
The project is the largest energy centre scheme to be built so far in the UK and features a gas-fired Combined Cooling Heat & Power (CCHP) plant to capture the heat generated by electricity production. It also includes biomass-fired boilers that use sustainable biomass fuels (such as woodchip) to generate heat and deliver low-carbon energy.
?The opening of the Energy Centre is a significant milestone for the Olympic Park and demonstrates the sustainability features that underpin this project,? said Olympic Delivery Authority Chief Executive David Higgins in October 2010. ?The Energy Centre will deliver essential services throughout the Olympic Park well before the Games begin and ensure a lasting legacy of green power for generations to come. The delivery of this facility is a considerable achievement and sets a model for future urban regeneration schemes.?
Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, added at the time: ?The Energy Centre will be a core part of our long-term sustainability aims, meeting all future energy needs of the Olympic Park including the five new neighbourhoods that will be developed. Not only will it be more energy efficient by eliminating the need for boilers in each home, but it has the capacity to supply the areas surrounding the Park and, in turn, leave an even bigger legacy for east London.?