A groundbreaking scheme is set to result in a Fife hospital being run on potato peelings.
Councillors have now approved ambitious plans for Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermine to source its heating supply from household waste.
The project, which is estimated to cost about £2.5 million, will be added to the existing Dunfermline district community heating scheme from an energy centre at Broomhead flats to the hospital.
The idea is being backed by NHS Fife. Facilities manager Jim Rotheram said it is committed to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions across its sites, and welcomed the approval.
“The district heating scheme has the potential to provide hot water to Queen Margaret Hospital and reduce gas consumption at the site by as much as 75%, providing significant C0 reductions,” he said.
Dunfermline’s community energy scheme has been running for seven years.
The power, generated from methane gases produced by waste at Lochhead landfill site near Dunfermline, provides heating for a range of buildings.
The original partnership initiative gained financial backing from the Scottish Government in 2005.
New underground cables will be installed from the energy centre to the hospital for the extension.