Friday 17 July 2020

Mayor of London moves forward with plans to take the tube renewable

Mayor of London moves forward with plans to take the tube renewable

The Mayor of London has moved forward with plans to power the Transport for London (TfL) tube network with renewable energy.

Sadiq Khan has published Transport for London’s (TfL’s) renewable energy requirements as part of his ambition to deliver a zero-carbon railway network across the capital by 2030.

All passenger rail services operated by TfL are powered by electricity, helping make the organisation one of the largest consumers of electricity in the UK - it currently consumes around 1.6TWh of power each year, equivalent to the requirements of more than 437,000 homes.

TfL currently sources its electricity directly from the National Grid but plans plans to shift towards a model of purchasing power from renewable generators through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).

It initially plans to buy up to 10% of its demand by Spring 2022, subject to market testing and approval from TfL’s Finance Committee later this year, before ramping up this renewable share of supply in the future.

The Mayor has said he will also look at opportunities to meet London’s wider public sector electricity demand with renewables.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “As one of the single biggest purchasers of energy in London, it is important that TfL leads the way on green energy. This is a vital step towards my ambitions for TfL – and London – to be zero-carbon by 2030.

"Covid-19 has had a devastating impact but as we recover we want to make sure that we build a better, greener and more equal city. This work to secure cost-effective and renewable energy for the rail network, with ambitions to include the wider Greater London Authority (GLA) group and beyond, will play a key role in London’s green recovery and accelerating action on the climate emergency.”

Waste heat from the London Underground network is already being used to provide heating and hot water to more than 1,350 homes, a school and two leisure centres in Islington.

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Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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