Heat network techno-economic feasibility study for Culham

South Oxfordshire District Council commissioned a heat network techno-economic feasibility study for the Culham area, which has been designated as the UK's first AI Growth Zone and is planned to host a 100MW data centre (potentially expanding to 500MW) alongside 3,500 new homes and employment land. AECOM LIMITED was awarded the contract for 60,453 GBP in March 2026 to assess the viability of capturing waste heat from data centres to supply heating to the community, updating previous 2017 energy masterplanning work in light of technological advances and changed development plans. The study aims to provide the council with information to inform planning decisions ahead of a potential heat network deployment, with work now complete.