UK’s last coal-heated hospital completes switch to clean energy

The two-phase decarbonisation programme has brought coal-fired heating to an end across the UK’s NHS estate, with the completion of a major energy transformation at Nottingham City Hospital.

The project was delivered by Vital Energi. The firm replaced the hospital’s ageing coal and gas boiler infrastructure with a new energy centre, as well as installing air source heat pumps, solar PV panels and a comprehensive LED lighting upgrade of over 6,600 fittings.

The work was carried out in a fully operational acute hospital and the managed transition from the old coal-fired boiler house to the new energy centre – cutting and restoring the hospital’s primary heat source – required precise planning at every stage, said the firm.

Demolition works included the removal of two chimney stacks, one directly adjacent to the Cardiac Centre requiring precision demolition and rigorous traffic management to ensure uninterrupted access for high-risk patients, and one at 38m which altered the neighbourhood skyline. LED upgrades were installed across live wards and clinical areas, and plant room work was scheduled out of hours with each task timed to ensure no system was offline longer than could be safely permitted.

A second phase added a 400kW air source heat pump system serving the maternity and urology departments, a 160kW waste heat recovery water source heat pump, and a full sitewide Building Management System (BMS) upgrade integrating all systems under a single, modernised controls platform.

Both phases were funded through the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), administered by Salix Finance.

With more than a full year of independently verified operational data now available, the annual energy savings of £1.4M have been realised. The BMS upgrade has generated annual gas savings of 7,475,244 kWh, nearly five times the guaranteed target.

John Runniff, account development director at Vital Energi, said: “Nottingham City Hospital was the last hospital in the UK still burning coal, and that chapter is now closed.

“This was a multifaceted project which required the team to use their broad range of skills to complete. Delivering in a live acute hospital adds a layer of complexity that very few contractors are equipped for, and that expertise is something we’ve built over decades.”

He added: “What makes this especially satisfying is that the results speak for themselves.

“The savings have been independently verified, and we derisked our heating system both primarily plant and the heating distribution system and take the first steps for de-steaming the hospital, a key necessity to achieve the Trust’s net zero Carbon target. The hospital now has modern, resilient energy infrastructure built to last.”

Alberto Jaume, programme manager of decarbonisation schemes at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “This landmark project was an important part of moving us away from relying on coal and gas energy and towards clean energy and our ambitious 2040 net zero carbon goal.”

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