Mogden Sewage Could Be Used to Heat Local Homes
Council seeking funding for low-carbon energy project
Tanks at the Mogden sewage treatment facility. Picture: Thames Water
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February 14, 2025
Homes in Brentford and Isleworth could get their heating from the sewage output of Mogden under plans being brought forward by Hounslow Council
A report to the council on using effluent for sustainable heating as part of the Hounslow Heat Network Project was approved by the cabinet on 11 February. This will allow the first phase of a low-carbon heat network supplying heating to public and private buildings in Isleworth and Brentford to be brought forward
The Council intends to bid for £11 million from the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) by this April to finance the commercialisation and construction phases of the initial scheme.
Ultimately, the whole network is estimated to require an investment of £450million which would come from the private sector but the concept would be tested on a smaller scale with the building of a 8.8km pipeline to 31 buildings across Isleworth and Brentford. The system is projected to supply 41.9 GWh of heat annually and reduce borough carbon emissions by 38,900 tonnes of CO2e per year over a 40-year lifespan.
The projected cost for this first phase is £53.2 million, with an anticipated £10 million GHNF grant for construction. The Council does not anticipate requiring an equity stake at this stage but may reconsider as the project advances. The Outline Business Case, delivery models, and commercial structures will be presented to the Cabinet in summer 2025. If funding is secured, construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the first heat deliveries projected for 2029.
Thames Water has been engaged in discussions regarding heat extraction from the Mogden site and has agreed to the idea although details have yet to be finalised.
Since 2022, the Council has been investigating opportunities for a low-carbon heat network in the borough, as it committed to do in its Climate Emergency Action Plan. A number of other options were considered for a heat exchange project including data centres in the borough, but Mogden was decided to be the most viable.
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