Southwark selects Elephant & Castle green utilities partner

Dalkia has been selected as Southwark Council's commercial partner to provide sustainable infrastructure for the Elephant and Castle regeneration.

Dalkia, alongside Veolia Water and Independent Fibre Networks Ltd, will form a Multi Utility Services Company (MUSCo) to provide heating, cooling, electricity and water networks for the entire Elephant and Castle development.

Dalkia's heat, power and cooling services will be based on gas-fired combined heat and power with integrated absorption cooling.

Veolia Water's sustainable water strategy takes advantage of the chalk aquifer 100 metres below Elephant and Castle as the primary source for non-drinking water. Veolia Water will work with the council and Lend Lease for co-ordinated handling of stormwater across the development.

The Dalkia-led consortium will play an essential role in achieving the green objectives for the development: zero growth in carbon emissions and minimising the use of drinking water for other purposes.

The commercial partner was selected following a process beginning in mid-2006 with expressions of interests from 15 companies. The consortium will work closely with Southwark Council and master development partner Lend Lease.

"This development is being driven through Southwark Council and the planning framework that we have put in place," says Cllr Paul Noblet, executive member for regeneration.

"In welcoming a commercial partner, we're entering an exciting new stage in this process.

"Sustainability has been a key consideration of this project from day one. This isn't about taking a building-by-building approach – it's about looking at the bigger picture of how sustainability can be achieved through creating a development that stands the test of time.

"For example, our network of heating and cooling systems are designed to ensure zero growth in carbon emissions compared to standard developments that meet building regulations. This is alongside other sustainable measures such as sourcing water from the aquifer 100 metres under Elephant and Castle."

Newly-appointed Lend Lease project director Mark Boyes added: "The MUSCo will deliver unrivalled benefits both for the development and for existing and future residents of Elephant and Castle, and we commend Southwark for their forward thinking approach to such an important issue."

Southwark is testing renewable energy technologies at the Elephant. Two wind turbines are currently being tested at Ashenden on the Heygate Estate.