Heat from cremations to be used to warm new £120m Hazlehead Academy in Aberdeen

Plans have been lodged for a new low-carbon energy centre on the site of the new £120m Hazlehead Academy that would use waste heat from cremations.

The proposal by Aberdeen Heat and Power would see upgrades made to the Hazlehead Heat Network.

It is currently supplied through a fossil fuel energy centre within the existing academy which is to be knocked down to make way for a replacement facility by 2028.

The new energy centre would supply the current heat network and new school through air source heat pumps and use waste heat from the crematorium nearby.

This would mean capturing heat created during the cremation process and diverting it instead of releasing it out into the atmosphere.

Aberdeen City Council is sponsoring the project and Sustainable Energy Ltd has been commissioned to help develop the proposal.

The energy centre would have nine air source heat pumps, thermal storage and 12 gas boilers for a back-up heat supply.

It would not be staffed and operate remotely instead, with maintenance staff only attending for scheduled servicing or emergency shut downs.

Meanwhile, a heat offtake station with heat exchanger equipment would be installed at the crematorium and connect to the current waste heat circuit.

Developers claim the centre will support efforts to reduce fuel poverty across the city while working towards a decarbonised approach of heat production in Aberdeen.

Two homes that had been occupied by academy staff in previous years are currently on the proposed energy centre site.

However, they are due to be demolished as part of the redevelopment of the school.

If the project is approved and construction gets underway, a trench would be dug out to lay new pipework.

These pipes will provide connections between the crematorium and energy centre, as well as from the new facility to the existing heat network.

Denseat Court sheltered housing complex and the Bruce, Rose, Davidson, and Wallace housing blocks currently benefit from the Hazlehead heat network.

Meanwhile, the Hazlehead Pavilion and Pets Corner will also receive heat from the new energy centre.

Developers say the new facility should not create any noise nuisance to nearby residential areas.

They say emissions from the back up gas boiler plant in the energy centre will be significantly lower than those within the existing Hazlehead Academy.

And, they claim that decarbonising the Hazlehead Heat Network represents a “strategic and practical step” in achieving national and local climate ambitions.