Tender: Techno-Economic Feasibility Study for Low-Carbon Heat Network – Northwest Didcot (Oxfordshire)

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The council is seeking a supplier for a techno-economic feasibility study to assess the potential for a low‑carbon heat network in an area northwest of Didcot, Oxfordshire, including review and possible expansion of heat network zones identified by the National Zoning Model (NZM) and incorporation of opportunities from adjacent proposed data centre developments. The study must evaluate the technical and economic viability of conceptual heat network schemes, identify key heat demands, heat sources and potential energy centre sites, review potential distribution networks and zoning options, and set out delivery models under different levels of local authority leadership and investment. Outputs should follow the Heat Networks Delivery Unit zoning and feasibility specifications (February 2026) with local additions, be aligned with the latest HNDU guidance and the CIBSE/ADE Heat Network Code of Practice, include high‑level techno‑economic modelling with stated assumptions and counterfactuals, and provide a report sufficient to support a Green Heat Network Fund application and to enable completion of the Economic Case within an HM Treasury‑compliant Outline Business Case. The study must consider that roughly 400,000 sqm of data centres are proposed on brownfield land adjacent to the operational Didcot Power Station and that the NZM has not accounted for these future waste heat sources.