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Vital Energi announced as contractor to upgrade Duffryn heating system

We are delighted to have been appointed to deliver a new project for Newport City Homes which will see us install 7.5km of district heating pipework to replace the original heat network which was installed in the early 1970’s.

The existing system experienced a series of leaks in early 2023 which saw significant disruption to heating and hot water supplies. The association pledged to carry out a full review of the performance of the district heating system at the time and has now announced a substantial programme of pipe replacement work to improve performance for the local community.

Sonia Furzland, Executive Director of Operations at Newport City Homes, said: “We’re pleased to announce this substantial investment in the Duffryn district heating system to upgrade the pipework and improve heating and hot water performance to more than 1,000 customers.

As part of our regular monitoring, we have always replaced aging pipework across the heat network and carried out localised repairs. We have worked closely with specialists over recent months to assess the performance of the network and our surveys have shown that the pipework connecting the system to homes across Duffryn needs replacement.”

Sonia Furzland, Executive Director Operations, Newport City Homes

“We’d like to thank our customers for the substantial support and patience during the leaks we experienced earlier this year, and over the last few months as we have carried out this urgent review. We hope this gives the community assurance that we are taking action in response to the issues we have seen.”

Work to upgrade the Duffryn district heating system is expected to begin in Autumn 2023 and take a number of months.

The Duffryn heating system is supported by over seven kilometres of pipework which runs underneath the ground. This includes underneath main roads, NCH homes and privately owned homes, and it was originally put in place during the 1970s. Work will take place in planned phases to minimise disruption of supply to the community.

Ashley Walsh (Managing Director of Heat Networks) at Vital Energi added:

“For nearly 50 years this scheme has provided heating and hot water to the people of Duffryn and this upgrade will safeguard this essential service for decades to come, making the heat network more reliable and more efficient.  We are delighted to be delivering 7.5km of pipework on the project and also look forwards to working with the local community on some exciting community engagement projects.”