Waste water could provide heat for buildings in Inverness via low-carbon network

Inverness is to benefit from a new “cutting-edge” low-carbon heat network.

The Highland city has been selected as the project’s location, under the collaboration between SSE Energy Solutions and Scottish Water Horizons. The green energy project will be established in the Longman Drive area.

The innovative system will harness the untapped potential of wastewater by capturing thermal energy that would otherwise be wasted, with a Scottish Water pumping station providing a sustainable heat source for several key buildings.

This would include local SSE and Scottish Water offices and facilities, as well as other private and public sector buildings in the area.

It is hoped that the project could create local opportunities for supply chains and skills development in the growing heat networks sector, supporting high-value jobs in the green economy.

Construction timelines will be announced following detailed design work, with operations expected to begin by 2028.

Donald MacBrayne, business development manager at Scottish Water Horizons, said the project will help take businesses and homes “off fossil fuels and onto renewable energy.”

“What we’re doing is exploring the demand available locally for customers on fossil fuels – and how that marries up with available energy that we can extract from wastewater in Longman,” he said.

Scottish Water Horizons business development manager Donald MacBrayne STV News

“If you imagine your household using wastewater, like dishwater or shower water, that’s putting warm wastewater into the sewage system. If we can extract energy from that warm wastewater, it’s more efficient than taking water from a river or the sea.

“Heat pumps don’t have to work as hard, meaning you use less electricity to get an equivalent amount of heat.

“This should be something that is reproducible across the country in towns and cities across Scotland. Where there is a wastewater network, there is an opportunity to extract heat from it and put it into buildings and households. It’s a clean source of energy.”

News of the Inverness site comes as part of a wider strategic partnership between SSE Energy Solutions and Scottish Water Horizons to develop low-carbon district heat networks across Scotland. Decarbonising heat, which currently accounts for 37% of the UK’s CO2 emissions, is a crucial component in meeting the country’s ambitious net zero targets.

Ross Mcclory is head of industrial and commercial business development at SSE Energy Solutions.

He said: “Within this local area, it’s utilising what’s already in the ground and making it a more attractive proposition for the end client.

“We are working together to bring a solution to market. Partnerships are key in the challenge for decarbonisation. This is a real step forward for two organisations that have the same goal.

“The Highlands have a proud history of renewable energy innovation, so it’s fitting that the first project in our new partnership with Scottish Water Horizons should continue that tradition with cutting-edge heating technology in Inverness.

“Our strategic partnership with Scottish Water Horizons is designed to accelerate Scotland’s transition to low-carbon heat networks. By deploying this technology, we aim to drive a nationwide approach to urban decarbonisation, demonstrating how communities across Scotland can transform their heating infrastructure.”