Have you noticed that one of Manchester’s newest and most eye-catching structures is finally living up to its name?
The Tower of Light structure has been officially switched on.
Marking a milestone in the development of the city’s new Civic Quarter Heat Network, the 40m tower – which was officially finalised back in August 2020, and became the talk of the city not long after – will now be lit up in a series of striking colours every night, with Manchester City Council describing it as “the most visible manifestation” of the Council-owned network – which is providing heating and electricity to some of Manchester city centre’s most iconic buildings.
The Civic Quarter Heat Network – which will go live in early 2022 – will not only help the buildings to reduce their carbon emissions, but also support the city’s transition to zero carbon by 2038.
The Tower of Light is now shining bright! 💡
Located at the heart of Manchester's new low carbon Civic Quarter Heat Network, it's part of the city's transition to zero carbon and will be lit up every night.https://t.co/Hu2C71UR0Jpic.twitter.com/PmFo35Wksw
In case you’re unfamiliar with what the Tower of Light actually is and what it does for the city, the structure contains a 3.3MWe CHP engine and two 12MW gas boilers, is made up of nine sections called ‘drums’ – each one measuring 4m wide, 6m long, and 4m high, with a 1.8m crown section – and essentially acts as the chimney for the low-carbon energy centre.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Tower of Light’s energy centre is projected to generate electricity and harness the recovered heat from this process for distribution via a 2km district heating network – which will supply heat for the buildings.
Using low carbon power generated in an energy centre located underneath the railway arches by Manchester Central, the network will serve the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Central Convention Complex, Central Library, Heron House, Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Town Hall and Town Hall extension buildings, via 2km of underground pipes.
ADVERTISEMENT
And the network will also have the capacity to connect to other buildings in the vicinity, helping them to reduce their carbon footprints too.
The Civic Quarter Heat Network will help the city’s buildings reduce their carbon emissions / Credit: Manchester City Council
“The Civic Quarter Heat Network is a trailblazing system which demonstrates Manchester’s determination to cut our carbon emissions,” explained Cllr Tracey Rawlins – Executive Member for Environment at Manchester City Council.
“”It’s a complex challenge, but ambitious projects such as this network show that we are taking action to rise to it, [and] as well as looking beautiful, we hope that the Tower of Light will be a beacon for this kind of work.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Mike Cooke – Managing Director for the North and Scotland at Vital Energi, the company that built the network – added: “The flue’s innovative lighting scheme, paired with the partially transparent ‘Wall of Energy’, allows the public to catch a glimpse inside the energy centre.
“[And it] ensures the Tower of Light will become an iconic feature to Manchester’s skyline.”
You can find out more about the Tower of Light and what it means here.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
News
Human remains found in search for missing woman murdered 12 years ago
Daisy Jackson
Human remains have been discovered in the search for missing woman Rania Alayed, who was murdered in a flat in Salford in June 2013.
While Rania’s husband, Ahmed Al-Khatib, from Gorton, was found guilty of her murder, her body had sadly never been recovered.
Al-Khatib was sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years imprisonment back in June 2014, a year after his wife’s death.
Yesterday, officers searching for Rania’s body found human remains in Thirsk in North Yorkshire after receiving new information.
GMP officers discovered the remains by the A19 in Thirsk, where a scene will remain in place for the coming days.
While no official identification has yet taken place, it’s ‘strongly suspected’ that the remains are that of Rania and her family have been informed.
They are being supported by specially trained officers.
Rania’s son, Yazan, speaking on behalf of their family, said: “The discovery of my mother’s remains more than a decade onwards has come as a surreal surprise to me and my family.
“At last, being able to provide a final resting place is all we have wanted for the last 11 years, to have the ability to lay down a few flowers for my mother is more than I can ask for from this world.”
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson, from Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team, said: “More than a decade after her murder, we now strongly believe we have located Rania’s body and are finally able to provide closure to her family, who we know have endured so much pain and grief over the years.
“Rania’s family have always been kept informed following our searches over the last few years, and we are providing them updates as we get them following this most recent development.
“Her murder was utterly horrific and not knowing where her body is has inflicted further pain to all those who knew her. I hope that we are now able to finally reunite her with her family, where she belongs, so that they can give her a proper resting place.”
Man named and charged in relation to Manchester van and tram crash that killed three-year-old girl
Emily Sergeant
A man has been named and charged after a van and a tram collided in Manchester city centre this past weekend.
It comes after emergency services responded to reports of a road traffic collision involving a tram and a van in Mosley Street in Manchester city centre at around 10am this past Saturday (22 February), where it was found that the van collided with the tram, forcing the van onto the pavement where it collided with a pedestrian.
The pedestrian, a three-year-old girl, was rushed to hospital, but despite the best efforts of all involved, sadly passed away from her injuries.
A scene remained in place around the Mosley Street, Booth Street, and Nicholas Street areas whilst officers conducted their investigations over the weekend.
The scene of the incident on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre / Credit: The Manc Group
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had previously issued a widespread public appeal to find the driver of the van after he fled the scene shortly after, and officers had been following ‘several lines of enquiry’ to locate him.
It was reported that the suspect was ‘identified’ on Monday morning (24 February), and now, GMP has named the driver as Rawal Rehman, of Lambton Road in Manchester.
The 35-year-old has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and will appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court today (26 February).
#CHARGED | Rawal Rehman (28/11/89) of Lambton Road, Manchester, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.
The charge relates to the death of three-year-old Louisa (Lulu) Palmisano following a collision in Manchester city centre.
The little girl who lost her life in the tragic incident was named Louisa (Lulu) Palmisano.
Her family wrote in a heartbreaking tribute to her yesterday: “Louisa was the sweetest, kindest, and most generous little girl. She was full of creativity and joy, and she absolutely loved going to nursery every day.
“Her absence has left a devastating void in our family – she was our only child, our whole world. We were simply enjoying a happy family day out in Manchester when this unimaginable tragedy struck. In an instant, our lives were shattered beyond repair.
Emily Sergeant -
18th October 2021 
