Oval Village

Power On has adopted the utilities networks and energy centre for Berkeley Group’s prestigious Oval Village development – a landmark regeneration scheme overlooking The Oval cricket ground in London.

Oval Village is one of Berkeley’s most ambitious brownfield regeneration projects, transforming the site into a new mixed-use community of 1,374 homes alongside commercial spaces. The development blends striking contemporary architecture with heritage conservation, including the careful restoration of the 145-year-old Grade II Listed gasholder, which now houses more than 200 apartments as part of The Halo building.

Power On is delivering the full multi-utility scope for the site – electricity, water, gas, and importantly, low-carbon heating and cooling – and will now adopt these systems, running and maintaining them in perpetuity.

Complexity and Challenges

This is a technically complex, high-rise, multi-block development in a central London location. The scheme comprises seven residential blocks and required a bespoke,
efficient energy strategy to meet the demands of modern urban living. The location brought unique challenges, including integrating new infrastructure around a historic gasholder structure and coordinating works with multiple stakeholders such as the London Borough of Lambeth, Historic England, Surrey County Cricket Club and local residents.

This is a major heat and utilities project for high-rise central London. It is a prestigious but also complex site and we are delighted to have been selected by Berkeley Group for the job – Neil Fitzsimons, Managing Director, Power On

A Multifaceted Heat Network

The heart of the energy system is a four-pipe heating and cooling network centred on a reversible air source heat pump (ASHP) located on the roof of Block B, The Pinnacle. This system maintains a water circuit temperature of 45°C and connects to three secondary water source heat pumps in the basement energy centre to boost temperatures to 70°C. Five thermal buffer vessels, with a total capacity of 35 m³, provide additional flexibility and help maximise efficiency. Gas boilers serve as a backup for peak winter demand, reduced from three to two through careful optimisation by Power On’s design team.

The reversible ASHP provides both 603 kW of heating and 716 kW of cooling capacity – a crucial feature for modern high-rise living.

Delivery and Collaboration

To meet the development’s phased build programme, Power On designed and delivered a temporary energy centre, ensuring early blocks were energised ahead of the permanent system. Once complete, all seven blocks will be supplied by the main energy centre.

Block B, The Pinnacle, served as the primary connection point for all utilities, including a 20 kV electricity network fed from UK Power Networks’ Bankside primary substation -requiring extensive offsite works from the Tate Modern area. The basement plant installation was bespoke, designed to meet rigorous building and safety regulations. Power On acted as the single multi-utility delivery partner for the entire project, coordinating with all stakeholders and simplifying communication. This reduced complexity for Berkeley Group and allowed challenges to be addressed holistically across all utilities.