Princess Royal visits E.ON’s Blackburn Meadows Renewable Energy Plant

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited E.ON’s Blackburn Meadows renewable energy plant today (Weds) where she experienced the power generation process up-close and also heard about the latest developments in sustainable energy and the potential benefits for cities such as Sheffield in cleaner air, more affordable energy and new jobs and skills.

On a tour of the site,  The Princess Royal met the operational team running the Tinsley power station which uses waste wood that would otherwise have gone to landfill, generating electricity for the grid and heat for a district heating network in the Lower Don Valley.

Her Royal Highness gained insights into every stage of the generation process, from the 4,000-tonne waste wood fuel store through to the boiler house and furnace, and on to the turbines. The Princess Royal also took in the view towards Sheffield from the upper storeys of the architecture award-winning building and viewed a display of welding.

The tour concluded with an overview of E.ON’s investment plans for new energy infrastructure in Sheffield, expanding the heat network from Blackburn Meadows as well as opportunities to improve energy efficiency in local homes, decarbonising public buildings, and driving new skills development and opportunities for local suppliers.

E.ON recently announced proposals for a potential multi-million-pound investment that would more than double the size of its district heating network around the Lower Don Valley area to connect new customers and potentially tap new sources of low carbon heating that might otherwise go to waste.

During the visit, Her Royal Highness heard how heat networks and the greater efficiencies and more cost-effective ways of providing heat to built-up areas by producing and distributing heat from a central source, and how their development will play a critical role in decarbonising cities. Heat networks currently provide 3% of the heat demand in the UK, with that number potentially growing to 20% nationwide by 2050 to support the move towards net zero.

Jess Dhariwal, plant manager at Blackburn Meadows, said: “We’ve been part of the Sheffield skyline for over a decade now and the team is immensely proud to show off the work we do and the investments we’ve made in generating energy in and for Sheffield.

“It was wonderful to tell The Princess Royal about the developments we have in place here: from battery storage to potentially developing hydrogen for the city’s steel manufacturers, and our recently announced proposals for a new heat network into the city. With Sheffield’s bold steps to become a zero-carbon city by 2030 there is huge opportunity for the city and it is hugely encouraged to see it all coming to life.”

After the tour, Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque to commemorate the visit, produced from recycled waste wood.

The Princess Royal also heard E.ON’s plans to work with the local Community Interest Company Skills Street to develop a learning zone to promote the decarbonisation of the region and to develop a host of skills and training opportunities from early years and primary stages into secondary, further and higher education. 

Skills Street expects to welcome c.16,000 school aged students each year, to help shape the next generation of talent, whether that is engineering and technical talent or giving context and meaning to green careers and climate action.

James Beighton, Skills Street Development Manager, said: “I am delighted to be working with E.ON as our latest Skills Investor partner. We operate in a region where manufacturing and industrial heritage is our identity. We have a unique opportunity here to inspire a workforce that will secure our future on so many fronts. A perfect example of immediate and localised skills needs meeting national priorities across a crucial industry sector for our national economy”.