Damian McGirr

COWI, a leading international engineering consulting group, has been appointed by RPS Group to support them in their role as the Technical Advisor for the Dublin District Heating Project (DDHP), led by Dublin City Council. The project will deliver a modern and sustainable heating network to the residents and businesses of Dublin, helping reach Ireland’s long-term climate and carbon reduction targets. COWI will support RPS Group and Dublin City Council to progress the preliminary design and planning application for the project’s Phase 1 on the Poolbeg Peninsula, including North Lotts and Grand Canal Dock Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) and the Poolbeg West SDZ.

The purpose of this phase of the DDHP is to capture heat produced at the Dublin Waste to Energy (DWtE) Facility and reuse it to heat buildings and their water systems in the Poolbeg, Ringsend and Docklands areas of Dublin City. Reusing this heat is a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to burning imported fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). The DDHP will also have potential to capture heat from other industrial facilities along the Poolbeg Peninsula and in due course expand to other areas across Dublin.

Specialising in innovative lower carbon energy concepts, COWI will be responsible for the conceptual and preliminary design of the new energy centre situated adjacent to the waste-to-energy plant, as well as the intricate design of the network’s hydraulics.

COWI will leverage its extensive global proficiency, drawing on more than 65 years of experience in Danish district heating projects. As part of the preliminary work, COWI will also utilise its specialised tunnelling expertise to deliver preliminary and detailed design for the Dodder tunnel, which will accommodate the heat network pipelines under the river Dodder for the project.

Damian McGirr, Director at COWI UK comments: “We’re thrilled to harness our legacy in heat networks to support the adoption and acceleration of waste heat projects in Ireland. This project has the potential to showcase what is possible nationwide and at COWI we are committed to driving the uptake of waste heat projects for a more sustainable future. Projects like this are invaluable not only in achieving our sustainability goals but also in advancing the global energy transition.”

COWI will also assist in the procurement of a joint venture partner to implement the project through a design-build approach. This includes overseeing the integration of design and construction processes to streamline delivery and enhance efficiency.

When complete, the Dublin District Heating Project will be the largest district heating system in Ireland.