Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited E.ON’s Blackburn Meadows renewable energy plant in Sheffield today, where she saw the power generation process first-hand and learned about the latest advancements in sustainable energy. The visit highlighted the role such projects can play in improving air quality, cutting energy costs, and creating new jobs.
During the tour of the Tinsley power station, The Princess Royal met with the operational team that runs the site. Blackburn Meadows utilises waste wood—material that would otherwise end up in landfills—to generate electricity for the national grid and provide heat for a district heating network in the Lower Don Valley.
Her Royal Highness was given a detailed tour of the facility, learning about each stage of the energy production process. The visit covered the plant’s 4,000-tonne waste wood fuel store, the boiler house, the furnace, and the turbines that convert waste into electricity and heat. From the upper floors of the plant’s award-winning building, she also enjoyed views of the Sheffield skyline.
The Princess was briefed on E.ON’s plans to expand Sheffield’s energy infrastructure, particularly by enlarging the district heating network to connect more customers and exploring additional low-carbon heat sources. The company has announced a potential multi-million-pound investment that would more than double the size of the existing heat network, a system that already supplies the Lower Don Valley area with renewable heat.
The Princess Royal heard about the importance of heat networks in helping decarbonise cities. By producing and distributing heat from a centralised source, heat networks are considered a more efficient and cost-effective way of providing heating to urban areas. Currently, heat networks meet 3% of the UK’s heat demand, but they could supply up to 20% by 2050, supporting the country’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions.
Jess Dhariwal, the plant manager at Blackburn Meadows, said: “We’ve been part of the Sheffield skyline for over a decade, and it was a privilege to show The Princess Royal the investments we’ve made in generating renewable energy. We also shared our plans for new developments, including battery storage and the potential to develop hydrogen for Sheffield’s steel industry.”
E.ON also plans to work with the local Community Interest Company Skills Street to create a learning zone aimed at promoting decarbonisation and providing training opportunities. This partnership is expected to engage approximately 16,000 students each year, helping to cultivate the next generation of engineers, technicians, and climate specialists.
James Beighton, Development Manager at Skills Street, commented: “We’re thrilled to partner with E.ON. This collaboration offers a unique chance to inspire a future workforce that can meet both local skills needs and national priorities in the energy sector.”
To mark her visit, The Princess Royal unveiled a commemorative plaque made from recycled waste wood.
