Date: 25 Jun 2021
Ireland’s first large scale district heating project commences.
The Tallaght District Heating Scheme is being led by South Dublin County Council. The scheme will also operate as Ireland’s first not-for-profit heat utility and will make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions in the area, with annual saving of almost 1,500 tonnes of CO2 in its first phase.
The project, which involves an underground network of highly insulated pipes that transfer low carbon heat from an energy source to buildings that have connected to the system, will provide hot water and space heating. The nearby Amazon data centre will provide the initial source of heat on the network, however, the scheme can accommodate additional, alternative, energy sources over time.
Phase one of the Tallaght District Heating Scheme connects South Dublin County Council’s office headquarters and the TU Dublin-Tallaght campus. During normal operation, the heat demand will be fully covered from heat generated at the data centre. The Subsequent phases of the project will facilitate the connection of other public, private and residential customers in the Tallaght area including the proposed residential development at Belgard Gardens, which will be home to more than 3,000 people. The system will be operational from Q1, 2022.
South Dublin County Council has secured funding of almost €4.5 million for the Tallaght District Heating Scheme through the Government's Climate Action Fund, and support from the Interreg North-West Europe HeatNet NWE project and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.’