Building designed by John McAslan will help reduce the Olympic Park’s carbon emissions

The Olympic Park’s Energy Centre was unveiled today. The building, designed by John McAslan & Partners, was officially opened by mayor of London Boris Johnson and ODA chief executive David Higgins.

The centre will help reduce the carbon emissions of the Olympic Park and is the largest energy centre scheme to be built so far in the UK.  

It will provide an efficient low-carbon heating and cooling system across the site for the Games and for the new buildings and communities that will develop after 2012.

The Energy Centre will include a gas-fired combined cooling heat & power (CCHP) plant to capture the heat generated by electricity production. It will also include biomass-fired boilers using sustainable biomass fuels (woodchip) to generate heat and deliver low carbon energy. Cooling will be provided through a combination of electric, ammonia based chillers and absorption chillers which are driven by heat recovered from plant in the centre.

The flexible modular design, meaning that further capacity and new technology can be added as the area is developed after the Games and demand increases.

Johnson said: ’It is an environmental imperative that we harness the delivery of 2012 Games to raise new standards of sustainability. Not only will this leverage in new skills and job opportunities for Londoners, but also help the transition towards a low carbon economy.”

The centre will be operated by Cofely, the energy services company of GDF SUEZ, for 40 years.

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