Trafford Leisure Partners with Deep Green in a bid to heat pool for free in race to net zero

Trafford Leisure is partnering with British data centre operator, Deep Green, in a bid to help reduce energy bills and end its reliance on carbon-intensive fossil fuel boilers at move Urmston. The companies have applied to Trafford Council for planning permission to position a mini data centre in the grounds of the leisure centre.

 

Deep Green’s ‘data furnace’ technology, which can be installed on-site at swimming pools and other environments such as homes, universities, hospitals, bakeries, breweries and industrial laundries, transforms heat from its servers into hot water. Deep Green is the only decarbonised data centre company that recaptures the heat computing generates and repurposes it for social good for free.

 

The proposals, if approved, will make move Urmston the first public leisure centre in the North West and only the second in the whole of the UK to benefit from heat recaptured from Deep Green data centres. The 400kW Deep Green unit would reduce the pool’s gas requirements, leading to substantial cost savings and a reduction in carbon emissions. This will help Trafford Leisure to keep its pricing affordable for the benefit of the local community.

 

Jo Cherrett, CEO of Trafford Leisure, a community interest company wholly owned by Trafford Council, which manages leisure in Trafford on behalf of the council says: “Our partnership with Deep Green is incredibly exciting and firmly positions Trafford Leisure as an environmental trailblazer.

 

“By using innovative technology to repurpose waste heat from data centres, we would not only be reducing our reliance on carbon-intensive energy sources, but also directly supporting Trafford Council’s carbon neutral action plan. This initiative would have a tremendous positive impact on both the environment and our community. Lower energy bills and reduced carbon emissions mean we can continue providing high-quality services to our customers while driving a more sustainable future.”

 

Cllr Cath Hynes, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Leisure Arts, Culture and Heritage, said: “Trafford Council is committed to helping improve the environment and a major part of that initiative is to reduce carbon emissions at our sites. The partnership with Deep Green is very exciting and innovative and would support all of our environmental priorities. We would also welcome the fact that this could lead to lower energy bills and mark the end of the use of fossil fuel boilers at the site.”

 

Mark Bjornsgaard, CEO of Deep Green, said: “By moving data centres from industrial warehouses into the hearts of communities, our ‘data furnaces’ put recaptured heat energy to good use, saving local properties thousands of pounds on energy bills and reducing their carbon footprint. move Urmston has always been the jewel in our 2025 roll out programme and we are delighted the site is now in the planning stage and awaiting approval.”

 

Kevin Henderson, Head of Assets, Trafford Leisure says: “At Trafford Leisure, we’ve long been pioneers in leveraging technology to drive sustainability across environmental, social and economic aspects. Fifteen years ago we were among the first to upgrade our sports halls to LED lighting. We also led the way in using locally sourced salt for Electrochlorination to safely treat our pools, and were the first in England to adopt energy-efficient microfiltration systems. Today, we continue our commitment by partnering with Biora to enhance biodiversity and working with Planet Mark to reduce our carbon footprint. Our latest refurbishments are fossil fuel-free, powered by air-sourced heat pumps and solar PV systems.”

 

The proposals are subject to further consultation and securing planning permission from Trafford Council.