New £5m energy centre for South Tyneside Hospital

Work is underway on a new energy centre at South Tyneside District Hospital that will enable the trust to make more effective use of valuable energy resources and reduce carbon emissions.

Representing an investment over £5 million, the project is likely to take 12 months to complete and will involve building a new boiler house and the introduction of a Combined Heat and Power unit.

Combined Heat and Power can help reduce carbon emissions by up to 30 per cent, with the trust saying that any waste heat from the new system will be in the form of lo-grade hot water that will then be used in heating.

Ken Bremner, chief executive of the trust, said: “This exciting development marks significant investment by the Trust in the hospital and demonstrates our total commitment to providing services for local people in South Tyneside and improving the working environment for our staff. Despite the very difficult financial challenges we are currently facing, we have been able to secure capital funding for this vital investment in our infrastructure, which will allow us to continue to improve the quality of our services and experience for both staff and patients. It shows that people should be in absolutely no doubt about our future ambitions for South Tyneside District Hospital.”