Womble Bond Dickinson contributes to study on optimising data centres in London for heat reuse

Womble Bond Dickinson's Andrew Hirst has contributed to the 'Optimising Data Centres in London - Heat Reuse' study prepared by AECOM and Hermetica Black on behalf of the Greater London Authority. The study serves as an evidence base and toolkit to enable heat reuse from data centres across London.

Data centres are central to the UK's ambitious decarbonisation and artificial intelligence initiatives. Much has been said about the potential negative climate impact of data centres due to the heat they produce. However, did you know that this heat can be sustainably reused to decarbonise urban heating?

Learn more about the role of data centre waste heat use in heat networks from the study. Our heat networks team of experts has contributed to this report.

The report provides a strategic framework and practical guidance for integrating data centre waste heat into London’s heat networks, aiming to decarbonise urban heating, reduce energy waste, and support net zero goals. It identifies technical, commercial, and policy pathways to unlock up to 1.6 TWh/year of recoverable heat—enough to heat around half a million homes.

What does this report cover?

• A review of the range of data centre types, the implications of these for heat reuse, and the extent of the opportunity across London.
• An overview of the technical solutions for heat recovery, including the key components for offtake and heat networks.
• Guidance on the various commercial arrangements for heat offtake, and the ownership models for the necessary infrastructure.
• A recommended roadmap for how Local Planning Authorities, Data centre developers and the heat network industry can work together to identify and develop heat offtake opportunities.
• Recommendations to the GLA (Greater London Authority) and policy makers to synthesise and develop outputs from this report into industry guidance to demystify and unlock projects.
• A summary of the engagement undertaken with industry used to develop and form the views and recommendations in this report.

Who will this report be useful for?

• Local authorities and those responsible involved in the strategic planning of the built environment.
• Data centre developers who are interested in understanding the potential for heat reuse and how it may be implemented.
• Heat networks developers (commercial and technical) looking to develop new heat networks or decarbonise existing networks.
• Policy makers involved in developing strategic policy for either data centres or heat networks.

Read the full study here.