Hospital chimney facing demolition
PROJECT IS PART OF A PLAN TO CUT EMISSIONS AT
A HOSPITAL chimney is being replaced as part of a project to slash carbon emissions.
Work has begun to take apart the chimney at North Tyneside General Hospital. A large crane is situated behind the structure in preparation for it being dismantled so a new, smaller chimney can replace it.
The reason why it is being replaced at the Rake Lane hospital is connected to a multi-million-pound project which aims to cut carbon emissions at the hospital.
A major project to decarbonise the hospital is beginning with the aim of reducing its emissions by 80% in the next few years.
The £22m scheme, funded by a grant from phase one of the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, was announced in October 2020.
It will result in a replacement of the steam system which provides the heating for the hospital alongside other energy-saving improvements as part of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s commitment to reduce its environmental impact.
It is hoped the successful implementation of the programme will act as an example of how a working hospital can become much more environmentallyfriendly, not just for the rest of the Trust’s sites across Northumberland and North Tyneside but also for the NHS nationally.
It will involve more than 60 ventilation units and thousands of metres of hot water piping having to be replaced, the high-voltage substation being removed and upgrades to the power system through a large number of replacement switchboards and cables to improve resilience.
Speaking last year, Sir James Mackey, Northumbria Healthcare’s chief executive, said: “This is an extremely important project for us and will act as a real showcase to what we are doing as part of our Sustainable Northumbria commitments.
“We are investing heavily in our estates and facilities over the coming years and ensuring new developments and refurbishing existing buildings to make them as sustainable as possible is a key part of that agenda.”
The Northumbria Sterile Processing Centre for cleaning and sterilising medical equipment at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital site in Cramlington was a net-zero development - but it has also helped support the decarbonisation of North Tyneside General Hospital as the sterilisation department previously located there was a major user of steam provided by the current heating system.