Combined authority to appoint legal adviser to district heating network project

Tees Valley Combined Authority is to appoint a legal firm with strong experience of delivering district heating and/or energy schemes to advise in relation to the Middlesbrough District Energy Network ('MDEN') Project.

The value of the contract for legal advice is estimated at £200,000. The contract will start on 4 February 2019 and run until 13 June 2021.

The £40m MDEN Project was officially launched by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen last month.

The scheme is expected to use some of the waste heat from local industry to warm public sector buildings, delivering energy savings and significant carbon savings while reducing energy costs.

The Tees Valley has been awarded £218,000 by the Government to help bring the scheme forward.

Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital will be the first complex to benefit from the district heating project. Over a 40-year lifespan, the project is expected to save the hospital a significant sum on its energy bills, and around 8,000 tonnes of carbon per year.

The project, to be delivered in partnership with the NHS Trust, Teesside University and Middlesbrough Council, is now entering the procurement stage for a contract to construct and operate the scheme.