Some of Our Funded Projects

Barking Town Centre Strategic Distribution Energy Scheme

Award: £5,000,000 of grant funding for commercialisation and construction

Barking and Dagenham Council has been awarded £5m to co-fund the creation of a landmark low carbon UK district heating scheme in Barking Town Centre. The project has been classified as strategically significant by the GLA and builds on the borough’s ambitions to become the green capital of London. It involves modification of the existing energy centre on the Gascoigne East Estate, Weavers Quarter, and the construction of a new large-scale energy centre. Together these will supply over 30 GWh per year of low carbon heat into a new Barking Town Centre wide heat network, serving a mixture of new developments comprising over 8,000 homes, together with existing buildings. Initially, supplies of heat will come from gas-fired combined heat and power units, but over time these will be replaced with existing sources of waste heat in the borough to deliver zero carbon heat supplies.

Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council:

“I am delighted to see our ambitions being supported in this way and look forward to seeing our vision for a low carbon borough come to fruition. We’re always striving for a cleaner, greener borough, for the benefit of our residents, and the delivery of this scheme is a major step forward for us.”

Bristol Redcliffe Heat Network

Award: £3,600,000 of grant funding for commercialisation and construction

The extension of the Bristol Redcliffe heat network will involve the expansion of the existing network and the installation of a second low carbon energy centre to supply heat to a number of new commercial developments in the area. The current scheme, which utilises biomass boilers, was completed in 2016 and supplies 700 social housing properties.

The extension will use the additional capacity within the current energy centre as well as the new energy centre, located within the council’s offices, which will include new gas CHP and back up boilers. The scheme will also include future proofing works to enable the network to be connected to additional existing loads and proposed new developments around Bristol Temple Meads. In addition to this section of the network the council will also be expanding to new areas of the city which will be served by new renewable sources such as water source heat pumps and geo-thermal technology.

Cabinet Member for Energy, Transport and The Green New Deal, Councillor Kye Dudd:

“We know that heat networks make a big impact on our city’s use of carbon. By providing low carbon sources of heat we are helping to make a big shift towards building a carbon neutral Bristol by 2030.”

Read more about the scheme here.

Leeds City Council

Award: £2,400,000 in grant funding for construction

The Leeds PIPES scheme is a recently-completed district heat network that has already begun delivering heat to Leeds. It currently comprises a network of around 16km of pipework, delivering low carbon heat and hot water, generated from waste steam created by the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF), to commercial properties and council-tenanted properties. HNIP funds will be used to extend the network into the city centre, connecting five council buildings and allowing other existing buildings and developments to connect in the future. The pipework therefore will be sized to enable a future extension to the South Bank, an area of major development and regeneration. The extension of the network comes at a key time, as Connecting Leeds will deliver extensive highways remodelling in the city centre.

Councillor James Lewis, Executive Member for Resources:

“It’s fantastic to have secured funding to extend the district heating. This expansion means that we will be able to connect more of the city’s buildings to the Leeds PIPES network and further reduce the use of individual, fossil fuel powered boilers—helping building owners save money on energy, improve local air quality and reduce the city’s carbon footprint.”

Read more about the scheme here.

Veolia: South East London Combined Heat and Power Heat Network

Award: £5,500,000 of grant and loan funding for commericalisation and construction

The network will consist of a spine running from the plant to Lewisham and connections to an anchor load comprised of commercial and residential units. This will create a network of approximately 1.7 km capable of delivering in excess of 30 MW of low carbon heating demand. The proposed heat network will provide immediate and long term carbon reduction to these developments compared to alternative heating options while providing good value heating to residents and businesses.

Richard Kirkman, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Veolia UK and Ireland:

“We welcome this award which will contribute to the expansion of the SELCHP district heating network and demonstrates the vital role modern energy from waste plants are playing in heat decarbonisation. This is a major factor in achieving the net zero goals, and showcases how energy from waste technology can meet this ambition by lowering fossil fuel use and reducing climate changing carbon emissions. More importantly it makes use of non recyclable household waste, so communities get the benefit of reliable and affordable heat generated from the waste they discard. If all non recyclable waste was diverted from landfill to energy recovery, the UK would save in the region of 880,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.”

Round 2

Bristol City Council: Old Market Heat Network

Award: £6,590,000 of grant funding for commercialisation and construction

A new network in Bristol, as the City Council seeks to install a city centre-wide provision of low carbon heat through heat network pipes. Designed to supply low carbon heat from the Energy Centre at the current Castle Park Council Depot site, at full build out the energy centre will comprise of a Water Source Heat Pump, Gas CHP and Gas peak and reserve boilers. The Phase 1 Old Market Network will supply 17 buildings including 4 residential blocks, 10 office blocks, 2 hotels and 1 school with an annual demand of 14.4MWh, through 1.6km of DH pipe. Over the next 25 years, the Old Market Network Phase 1 project will save around 76,911 tonnes of carbon. In the longer term, there may be more opportunities for new low or zero carbon sources of heat to connect to the network.

Councillor Kye Dudd, Cabinet Member for Energy and Transport:

“Our Bristol heat network has such a vital role to play in our city’s journey to carbon neutrality. The council has invested over £7 million in this infrastructure over the last five years and will continue to expand the network to serve new communities with low-carbon heat. This new funding from BEIS is so welcome to support the growth of the network and will enable us to innovate with new technology that will provide zero carbon heat to a number of new developments in the city. It’s also very exciting to see old fossil fuel infrastructure like the Bedminster coal mine being considered for use to provide zero carbon heat for the future – another example of Bristol’s ability to find pioneering ways to tackle the climate emergency.”

Read more about the scheme here.

Energetik: Meridian Water Heat Network

Award: £14,760,000 of grant and loan funding for construction

Meridian Water Heat Network will supply waste heat to at least 15,000 homes, with potential to rise to in excess of 30,000 over the lifetime of the network. The project is planned to be operational in 2022 and will be extended as new developments are built. Connection to the North London Waste Authority’s new Energy Recycling Facility (ERF) when built in 2026 will provide a very low carbon heat supply.

The energy centre will initially use gas fired boilers, enabling the heat network to supply customers with heat from 2022 before connecting to the ERF to supply up to 60MW of waste heat. The network’s construction will enable 8.9km of heat network piping to be installed, eventually serving multiple large housing developments. Once the ERF is connected in 2026, the equivalent annual carbon savings will exceed 2200 tonnes and will rise rapidly over the next 10 years to over 5700 tonnes per annum in 2036.

“We’re thrilled to announce that Energetik has been awarded a £14.76 million share of the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) fund. On the 6th of February, Triple Point formally announced the first beneficiaries and our company stands amongst the seven successful applicants! All beneficiaries have been described as promising and highly deliverable heat network projects and have been selected to receive a first share of the £320 Million fund. We’re truly honoured to be acknowledged on a national level. This funding will be used to unlock the next phase in our business plan helping to build our Meridian Water heat network.”

Read more about the scheme here.

Peel Energy, part of Peel L&P: Liverpool Waters Heating Network

Award: £1,300,000 of grant funding for construction

Peel Energy, through its supply company (ESCo) Mersey Heat is delivering a district heat network to serve Peel L&P’s Liverpool Waters development and surrounding areas including 2,000,000m2 of development floorspace, 9,000 residential units, 315,000m2 of business space and 53,000m2 of hotel and conference facilities. The awarded funding will support the supply of heat to multiple residential and commercial buildings with a temporary energy centre. A planned transition to a low carbon heat source will occur in the future to reduce carbon emissions.

Jon Burley, Commercial Director at Peel Energy, part of Peel L&P:

“It’s great to see the Government get behind clean growth projects across the country and in Liverpool, this funding will help us to deliver the first phase of our Mersey Heat network to benefit businesses and thousands of residents with low-cost heating and ultimately support our drive to create low carbon communities and make the City Region a greener place to live, work and invest.”

Read more about the scheme here.

Round 3

Gateshead District Energy Scheme

Award: £5,909,000 grant funding for commercialisation and construction

The grant will support the commercialisation and construction of the first major, strategic eastward expansion of the heat network within the Gateshead District Energy Scheme. This will enable the scheme to supply lower cost, lower carbon heat to an additional 12 GWh of heat load by 2030 represented by four Council buildings, a care home and, in time, up to 1250 new private homes within the Exemplar Neighbourhood, Gateshead’s largest new-build housing development site. Significant decarbonisation is achieved by the installation of a 6MW mine water source heat pump, to provide geothermal heat into the network, displacing the gas boiler generated heat, as well as reducing the operating hours of the existing 4MW gas CHP engines.

Councillor John McElroy, Gateshead Council Cabinet member with responsibility for energy:

“The council has always seen the development of low-carbon energy as key to meeting our climate change goals, but also in generating lower-cost energy for residents and organisations in Gateshead. This grant allows us to take this one step further. This new proposal uses a source of energy that is already under our feet but which is virtually unused. Thanks to the continued development of heat pump technology, we are at last able to properly exploit this abundant untapped heat source and use it to warm thousands of homes and businesses in Gateshead.

“We have been looking at this proposal for some considerable time, so the award of this grant is timely and its means we can now begin to bring it to fruition. There must be hundreds of miles of abandoned mine workings beneath Gateshead and many of them are flooded providing access to a sustainable source of heat, so there is huge scope for more initiatives like this. It is particularly satisfying that we can exploit the forgotten remains of an old industry – and a heavily polluting one at that – to create clean green energy.”

Read more about the scheme here.

Bridgend Town Heat Network

Award: £1,241,000 grant funding for commercialisation and construction

Initially, the scheme will serve public sector buildings in the town centre which includes Bowls Hall, Civic Centre offices, Bridgend Life Centre (leisure centre) and a new development. The network will allow for the expansion to other buildings in the immediate vicinity including local business and residential units. The energy centre will be based at the Bridgend Life Centre and initially use gas fired CHP with back-up gas boilers. These will be replaced with a larger CHP unit and new backup/ peak boilers with the addition of thermal storage tank at the rear of Bridgend Life Centre as the scheme develops. Key objectives for the scheme are to continue to provide reduced energy costs for customers, provide carbon emissions savings compared to alternative strategies and, over time, further decarbonise heat supplies.

Councillor Richard Young who is Cabinet Member for Communities:

“Bridgend County Borough Council is proud to be the first recipient of HNIP funding in Wales. The Bridgend Town Heat Network Project is a key part of our plans to decarbonise heat within Bridgend and forms part of our Smart Energy Plan developed with the support of the Energy Systems Catapult through the Smart System and Heat Programme to drive forward and capture the economic and social benefits of decarbonisation. The HNIP funding will enable us to progress the scheme through its commercialisation phase by first accessing £241,000 funding and, should that phase meet all necessary requirements, then to place Bridgend County Borough Council in a position where it can determine whether to move the project through to, and beyond, construction and accept the further £1m of funding.”

Read more about the scheme here.

Round 4

Cardiff Town Heat Network

Award: £6,628,000 grant funding for construction

The proposed Cardiff Heat Network begins at Trident Park Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) plant in Cardiff Bay, spreading across the Bay area before crossing the main Cardiff to London railway line, as part of a later phase. Funding from HNIP will support Phase 1 of the network which will reach to the area immediately south of the railway line. Utilising the ERF plant will allow the network to supply the 12 GWh per annum of Phase 1 Customer heat demand, whilst a separate energy centre containing back-up gas boilers will provide further capacity, ensuring resilience to the network. Once fully built out (phase 1 and 2) connections will have a combined annual heat demand of 34 GWh with adjacent private sector buildings having a combined annual heat demand of approximately 22 GWh. Part of the HNIP funding will support the costs of future proofing the network to accommodate for this potential future growth.

Cllr Michael, Cardiff Council’s Cabinet Member for Clean Streets, Recycling and Environment said:

“We’re very pleased to have been awarded an HNIP grant for this important low carbon infrastructure project. The scheme will allow us to capture heat already being produced from Cardiff’s residual waste and use it to deliver a low carbon heat source to large buildings in the Bay. Buildings that connect to the heat network will have the potential to reduce their carbon emission by around 80% compared to traditional gas heating and so this scheme forms an important part of our response to the Climate Emergency. The grant funding will help to kick start a scheme that can grow and evolve over the long term bringing low carbon energy security to the heart of the Capital city.”

Round 5

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Solihull Town Centre Low Carbon Energy Network

Award: £6,591,000 commercialisation and construction grant

The network will supply public and commercial buildings in Solihull Town Centre using a combination of a 1.7MWth air source heat pump, 1,560 kWe gas-fired Combined Heat and Power engine (prioritised for network heat supply) and auxiliary gas boilers. Electricity generated by the CHP will supply the Energy Centre and heat pump operations, 4 public and private sector customers via private wire supply and or grid export depending on electricity demand and grid electricity prices. Initially, the scheme will supply heat to a Council building and four education sites to the south, and then cross under the railway line to supply further public sector and commercial buildings to the east. The network accommodates expansion to new developments within the town centre masterplan. No domestic connections are envisaged in phase 1, although new developments in the town centre are likely to include residential apartments. Solihull Council has received support from the Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) prior to applying for HNIP funding. Heat on is expected in late 2022.

Cllr Andy Mackiewicz, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, Planning & Housing, Solihull Council said:

“As a Council we have committed ourselves to taking the necessary local action to tackle the climate change emergency. Through our ambitious Net Zero Action Plan we are developing a strategic approach to the challenge of decarbonising the borough over the next twenty years.

“The funding announced today is fantastic news for Solihull as innovative schemes like this will have a significant role to play in helping us to achieve our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2041.

“We know that decarbonising heating for schools, homes, offices and other business uses can be prohibitively expensive for building operators on an individual level. However, a central town centre energy network provides a unique opportunity for existing buildings and new developments to benefit from low carbon heat generation. This scheme will help us to reduce the borough’s greenhouse gas emissions while providing customers with a highly efficient and affordable heat supply.

“With this vital funding now in place we can move to the next phase of this exciting project and the real work can begin. While we still have a long way to go this feels like a significant step forward in our journey towards net zero emissions.”

Seaham Garden Village

Award: £3,800,000 grant for commercialisation and construction

The proposed Seaham Garden Village district heat network, if built out, is expected to supply low-carbon geothermal heat from former coal mines to a new development to the south of Seaham. It is hoped that the scheme will be a commercially viable sustainable energy demonstrator project that can be duplicated across the UK coalfields which contains ¼ of UK population and as such is of strategic importance. It is forecasted that up to 1,500 homes could connect to the network over time. This is a planned new build housing development and so construction has not yet commenced, it would be proposed that the heat network would be installed in tandem with the housing infrastructure including roads, roundabouts etc, to minimise costs and installation time.

Mine water is continuously pumped from the mine and treated to remove contaminants at the Dawdon Mine Water Treatment facility adjacent to the development. Dawdon is just one of 75 mine water treatment schemes across the UK that the Coal Authority operates. The mine water is heated by geothermal processes to circa 20°C providing low-cost low-carbon heat.

The new energy centre would comprise of a 1.022MW water source heat pump and later be expanded to include an additional water source heat pump of the same size. The energy centre would supply heat sourced from mine water to a new underground pre-insulated plastic heat network built out over 3 phases with a total trench length of 17.464km.

Cllr Kevin Shaw, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for strategic housing and assets, said:

“The development of a proposed mine water district heating network to supply low carbon heat to new residents is an exciting project. It will offer a wide range of benefits, including residents accessing renewable and affordable warmth in their homes, and it will create new jobs and will help the council progress towards being carbon neutral by 2050. It is a fitting legacy to the mine workers who toiled in the coal seams that produced the coal that powered the Industrial Revolution that those same seams could now help power the Green Revolution in the future. This project is an excellent opportunity for County Durham and one that the council is excited to facilitate and enable.”

Newcastle University

Award: £2,900,000 loan for construction

Press Release

Newcastle University has secured funding to support the extension and upgrade of existing District Heat network on their city centre campus in Newcastle upon Tyne. The project will involve the development of new pipework from an existing energy centre to serve a new development on the campus and also supply heat to some existing properties. The University will replace the current gas boilers with a new liquid biofuel combined heat and power plant (CHP) which will deliver substantial carbon savings across the site.

Matt Dunlop, Head of Sustainability at Newcastle University said:

“It is fantastic to receive HNIP support for this major heat decarbonisation project on our Newcastle campus, and we look forward to delivering this and many more carbon reduction projects in pursuit of our Net-Zero Carbon target”.

Cambridgeshire County Council: Swaffham Prior

Award: £3,268,0000 grant for commercialisation and construction

In 2018, the Council had been approached by the Swaffham Prior Community Land Trust (a group comprised of residents motivated to provide affordable housing in the village) to collaborate on this community heat scheme. The funding will help the 300-strong village to transition from oil to low carbon heating and is thought to be the first project of its kind to actively collaborate with members of the local community to deliver a village wide scheme. Led by a community with a common goal for change, the scheme will provide a blueprint model which can be refined and replicated by other communities across the UK.

Sheryl French, Programme Director, Climate Change and Energy Investment said:

“This is a fantastic project and a first of its kind that we know of in the country. Retrofitting a whole village is a challenge but the Swaffham Prior Community Land Trust has been a great partner driving the project forward. Securing the funding is a huge step in creating accessible renewable heat for oil dependent homes in Cambridgeshire. Cambridgeshire County Council is committed to tackling climate change and I’m looking forward to seeing the continued success of this project.”

Round 6

Manchester Octagon Project Energy Network (OPEN)

Award: £740,000 grant for commercialisation and £12,900,000 loan plus £1,000,000 grant for construction

The Octagon Project Energy Network (OPEN) is being undertaken by Manchester Energy Partnership Limited (MEPL), a joint venture between Sustainable Energy Supplies Limited Ltd, and Electricity North West (Construction and Maintenance) Ltd. The project also brings together key organisations in the region committed to reducing carbon emissions, creating employment opportunities and contributing to the overall wealth of the city. MEPL has been working with Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for over 7 years to create the network as part of plans to bring commercial vibrancy, growth and regeneration to the city’s strategic Southern Corridor. MEPL will initially construct close to 10Mw of electricity from Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generation, which will be combined with Photovoltaic Solar Panels and Air Source Heat Pumps throughout the network. The project also plans to be one of the UK’s first local energy centres to benefit from the inclusion of a 20% mix of Green Hydrogen with natural gas in 2024, further reducing carbon emissions long term.

Richard Everton, Chairman of the Manchester Energy Partnership said:

“I am delighted that the tenacity and single mindedness of the MEPL team has turned what was a personal “pipe-dream” into a financially viable and practical reality for the city of Manchester. The support received from both the local authority and central government is proof that multiple agencies can work together with the private sector to bring about infrastructure projects that will benefit communities, in pursuit of fuel efficiency and to reduce carbon emissions in our major cities. Manchester is taking a strategic lead in achieving “Net Zero North West.”

Leeds City Council

Award: £3.06 million for construction

Leeds City Council has secured £3.06 million of grant funding from the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) to enable £7.4 million of upgrades to its award-winning district heat network to go ahead. Plans to extend Leeds’ the network by 2,500 metres has started following the award of HNIP funding. This award follows a previous award of £2.4 million for an earlier futureproofed extension into the city centre. The extension marks the third major phase of the Leeds PIPES network and means that more buildings in new areas of the city will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of reliable, affordable, and low carbon district heating.

In 2021, the network of insulated underground pipes, soon to stretch more than 28 kilometres (17 miles) in length, supplied 15,454 megawatt-hours of heating and helped reduce the city’s carbon footprint by more than 2,000 tonnes. The £49 million network continues to expand and is regularly connecting to new buildings. A key scoring metric for HNIP funding was the ability to expand and further decarbonise over time. Buildings and developments located nearby can choose to connect at any time and the council has seen strong interest from private developers and public sector organisation across the city.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for Infrastructure and Climate, said:

“The Leeds PIPES district heating network is one of our most exciting infrastructure projects and has real momentum behind it with more public, commercial, and residential buildings all choosing to connect.

“By extending the network to more parts of the city, I am delighted that we’ll soon be able to give even more businesses and residents the opportunity to enjoy affordable, reliable and low carbon heat—helping them to move away from costly fossil fuel based systems and towards a greener future.”

Round 7

Cory

Award: £1,600,000 commercialisation grant and £10,509,000 construction loan

Cory’s existing Riverside energy from waste (EfW) facility will provide heat for up to 10,500 homes in Bexley in the first phase of the proposed heat network. A second EfW facility – adjacent to the existing one and part of Cory’s Riverside Energy Park which received planning permission from the Government in April 2020 – will supply an additional 10,500 homes. Serving a combined 21,000 homes, the heat network will be among the largest in the UK exemplifying the type of ambition needed as the UK transitions to net zero. Cory will work with Vattenfall to deliver the project; a collaboration that will also support Vattenfall’s wider vision to deliver low carbon heating to 75,000 homes across the Thames Estuary over the next decade. The wider heat network will draw on secondary heat sources, such as heat as a by-product of commercial or industrial activities, or heat from the environment.

Dougie Sutherland, CEO at Cory, said:

“We are delighted that BEIS is supporting the development of one of the UK’s largest heat networks. This is a very major step towards net zero, providing low-carbon heat for thousands of homes and businesses in Bexley and its surrounding Boroughs.”

Energetik

Award: £12,000,000 grant and £11,859,000 loan funding for construction

Energetik will deliver two major extensions of its community heat network across the London Borough of Enfield to enable the supply of very low carbon heat to over 50,000 homes. This funding award follows an initial grant and loan to support the construction of the Meridian Heat Network in Funding Round 2 (see above). The extensions will link together and significantly decarbonise all existing heat networks in the London Borough by connecting them to the upcoming Meridian Water energy centre at Edmonton Eco Park, which will connect to the North London Waste Authority Recovery Facility once complete in 2026.

The northwards extension will link the Meridian Water Heat Network with the existing Ponders End Heat Network, serving two new housing developments comprised of over 3,300 homes and the civic centre building in Enfield Town. The westwards extension will follow the route towards the Arnos Grove Heat Network, heading north towards the Oakwood Heat Network and connecting two care homes along the way.

Jayne Clare, Managing Director at Energetik said:

“This funding decision is extremely positive for Enfield and our Company. The expansion of our low carbon heat networks will provide the required infrastructure to unlock untapped potential and deliver maximum carbon savings across the borough. This an immense step forward towards achieving Enfield’s carbon goals.”

Round 8

Bristol City Council

Award: £1.7 million grant funding for commercialisation

In its second funding award, Bristol City Council received over £1.7 million to support the development of the Temple Heat Network, which will use a combination of heat pump technologies to provide low-carbon heat to hundreds of local homes and businesses, as well as student housing, university buildings and education facilities.

The network will generate low carbon heat from water sources accessible from the regeneration of Temple Island and waste heat from The University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. The technology mix includes a Ground Source Heat pump using a local sandstone aquifer, a Water Source Heat Pump using Bristol’s floating harbour and extracting waste heat from the university buildings themselves.

Minister for Climate Change Lord Callanan said:

“Changing the way we heat our homes and workspaces is key to tackling pollution and today’s investment into Bristol’s heat networks will put the thriving university city at the heart of the UK’s green industrial revolution. This network of underground pipes will deliver affordable, low-carbon heat and energy across homes, local businesses and university residencies, while opening up huge job and investment opportunities for Bristol, and making the city a greener place to live, work, and visit.”

Peel NRE Developments Ltd, part of Peel L&P

Award: £6.2 million grant funding for commercialisation and project grant loan funding for construction

Peel NRE Developments Ltd, part of Peel L&P, which was awarded funding in earlier funding rounds for the delivery of the first phase of the Mersey Heat Network, was awarded a second funding award of £6.2 million to enable the scheme to transition to a heat pump rather than gas CHP.

The funding will support the usage of one of two 3MW low-carbon heat pumps, the first of which will be water source heat pump. Once complete, Mersey Heat will provide low carbon heat and hot water to up to 9,000 homes and 4 million sq. feet of commercial space at Peel L&P’s £5 billion Liverpool Waters development and nearby buildings.

Jonathan Burley, Commercial Director at Peel NRE, part of Peel L&P, said:

”Mersey Heat supports national and local targets to achieve net zero and we’re pleased to receive further funding to help roll-out the network on a larger scale. The addition of large historical buildings like the Three Graces would make a high-profile impact on reducing Liverpool’s carbon footprint and we look forward to working with the buildings’ owners and our district heat network specialists Ener-Vate to progress these designs and hopefully connect some of Liverpool’s most prestigious properties to our low carbon network.”

Cranbrook

Award: £10.7 million (grant and loan) for commercialisation and construction

Cranbrook is a new town in East Devon located near to the city of Exeter. Development began in 2011 and today around 2,800 homes have been built. Cranbrook is in close proximity to employment developments including the low carbon Skypark business park with a single heat network serving both developments. Over the next 20 years, Skypark is predicted to create up to 6,500 new jobs with a significant positive impact on the local economy. The development takes an integrated approach to sustainability which includes tackling embodied carbon, reduction in building level energy demands, the use of renewable technologies and ensuring the site is future proofed. A second network immediately to the west is being rolled out to serve Exeter Science Park and further housing development.

The £10.7 million award by HNIP will allow both of these networks to be connected to a forthcoming Energy from Waste Plant. Cranbrook/Skypark will supply heat to 3,500 homes and 1.4m sq ft commercial space and Monkerton/Tithebarn which will connect 4,600 homes and 800k sq ft commercial space. The interconnection of these networks will enable the bulk supply of heat to both networks including all necessary resilience and back up. The project will also support the planned expansion of Cranbrook to circa 8,000 houses through enabling the delivery of a Future Homes Standard compliant energy solution.

Cllr Geoff Jung, East Devon District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Coast, Countryside and Environment, said:

“We very much welcome this £10m plus investment from the government’s Heat Network Investment Project. It will provide us with a significant step in supporting the large-scale delivery of low and zero carbon development and towards the target of our net-zero carbon goal by 2040 by moving away from reliance on fossil fuels. Utilising recoverable heat form the forthcoming energy from waste plant was selected as the preferred solution to decarbonising the district heat networks following an extensive review of ten different technologies and will help to significantly boost the overall efficiency of the plant itself.”

Bristol City Council

Award: £1.7 million

Bristol City Council has previously been awarded HNIP funding for three heat networks in the city and has secured further funding to support the development of a new heat network in Bedminster.

The Bedminster Network is being developed in south Bristol to generate low carbon energy utilising large heat pump technology either from sewer sources accessible within Dame Emily Park and the Bristol South Swimming Pool or ground/air source. It will support significant regeneration in the local area including a number of high-density developments with more than 330 homes. Future-proofing works will enable the heat network to connect to existing and proposed new developments around Bedminster.

Cllr Kye Dudd Bristol’s Cabinet Minister for Climate, Ecology, Energy and Waste, said:

“The Bristol Heat Network is an integral part of our strategy for decarbonising the city and ensuring that Bristol continues to play its part in addressing the climate crisis. The council has invested over £60m in low-carbon and renewable infrastructure in recent years and we’re delighted to be working in partnership on this innovative project.

“It’s exciting to be replacing old technology with greener solutions and great to be supporting businesses and public sector partners with their own efforts to decarbonise. Developing the heat networks has so many benefits for the city including the reduction in fuel poverty, cutting carbon emissions and creating thousands of jobs to support the local economy.”

Haringey Tottenham Hale and Broadwater Farm District Heating Network

Award: £17.2 million

The Council has been awarded £27.8 million funding for two heat network projects (Wood Green District Heating Network (£10.6 million) and the Tottenham Hale and Broadwater Farm District Heating Network (£17.2 million) which will collectively supply heat to more than 10,000 homes when fully built out. The heat networks support the Council’s ambition to reach Net Zero by 2041 as well as deliver ambitious housing and economic growth in the borough. Both schemes are interlinked and demonstrate the strategic approach being considered by the Council.

Supporting local regeneration, the Tottenham Hale and Broadwater Farm District Heating Network will deliver low carbon heat to homes and commercial premises across the borough whilst enabling further infrastructure development.

Not only will the Tottenham Hale and Broadwater Farm District Heat Network eventually deliver heat to almost 7,500 dwellings and over 125,000m2 of commercial floor space, but it will also connect to and supply to the new Wood Green District Heat Network. The Wood Green Heat Network scheme will grow to serve around 5,000 dwellings and 144,533m2 of commercial floor space.

Both heat networks will be supplied primarily by heat generated by the Energy Recovery Facility being built at the Edmonton Eco Park. Back up heat will be provided by existing local gas boilers if required to ensure a continuity of supply to residents and commercial off-takers.

Cllr Mike Hakata, the Deputy Leader of Haringey Council and Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport said:

“The heat networks at Tottenham Hale and Broadwater Farm and Wood Green are significant projects within the borough’s Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP). With the borough’s homes making up 50% of its carbon emissions, the DEN programme will replace thousands of highly polluting, individual gas boilers from our homes and buildings with an infrastructure which could reduce CO2 emissions from heating by 80% versus the use of gas. The DEN programme will go a long way to delivering our CCAP pledge of delivering homes that are desirable, warm and affordable to run.”

Round 9

Worthing Borough Council

Award: Over £5 million grant funding for commercialisation and both grant and corporate loan for construction

Worthing Borough Council was awarded just over £5 million of HNIP funding to develop a heat network that will use a centralised 3MW heat pump to capture heat passing through the sewers underneath the town’s high street. The scheme will support the council’s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030 by replacing gas boilers in 27 buildings and saving an estimated 2,454 tonnes per year.

HNIP funding will cover preparatory work, initial construction and the appointment of a private sector partner to help finance, design, build, own and operate.

Cllr Edward Crouch, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Digital and Environmental Services, said:

”The prospect of heating huge swathes of the town using the heat that is literally beneath our feet while phasing out environmentally harmful gas boilers, is a simple but wonderful piece of science that, if adopted around the world, could help save the planet. I’m extremely grateful to HNIP for showing faith in our scheme with this funding.”

Haringey Wood Green District Heating Network

Award: £10.6 million

Cllr Mike Hakata, the Deputy Leader of Haringey Council and Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport said:

“The heat networks at Tottenham Hale and Broadwater Farm and Wood Green are significant projects within the borough’s Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP). With the borough’s homes making up 50% of its carbon emissions, the DEN programme will replace thousands of highly polluting, individual gas boilers from our homes and buildings with an infrastructure which could reduce CO2 emissions from heating by 80% versus the use of gas. The DEN programme will go a long way to delivering our CCAP pledge of delivering homes that are desirable, warm and affordable to run.”

Round 10

Kensington and Chelsea Council

Award: Over £1.1 million million grant funding for construction

The Notting Dale Heat Network will be able to provide heat to 826 existing homes in North Kensington, and several public buildings and business units.

By using Air Source Heat Pump technology, the zero carbon heat network will be zero-carbon from 2030 supporting the council’s plans for the borough to become net zero carbon by 2040. The scheme is expected to deliver carbon savings over the first 15 years of operation of around 790 tonnes per year.

Cllr Kim-Taylor Smith, lead member for Grenfell, Housing and Social Investment, said:

“It’s important as a Council we continue to put residents first and provide a better quality of life now and for future generations. We’re making great strides in our progress to decarbonise all of our services and the borough as a whole, but we know homes can be one of the biggest carbon emitters.

“It’s fantastic to be able to further our plans for a zero-carbon heat network, which we have co-designed with local residents. This will allow us to provide affordable heating and hot water in an environmentally friendly way, whilst tackling fuel poverty.”

Veolia

Award: £16.3 million for commercialisation and construction (grant and loan)

Veolia has been awarded over £16 million to bring an EfW sourced, low-carbon, heat network to a new area of Southwark, supplying heating and hot water to several existing estates and schools that currently depend on gas boilers and supporting the future growth to a new regeneration area aimed to accommodate 20,000 new homes over the next 15 years. The project is subject to further agreement with SELCHP Ltd, the existing EfW energy centre, and will involve some modifications to improve efficiencies and enable further heat extraction and the construction of a new 6km district heat network.

The proposed network will provide immediate and long-term carbon reductions to these developments compared to the proposed counterfactuals, while providing good value to residents and businesses. The network is expected to deliver on average 11,100 tonnes of carbon savings each year.

Commenting on the latest carbon reduction energy project, Gavin Graveson, Veolia Senior Executive Vice-President, Northern Europe Zone, said:

“Decarbonisation of the domestic heat supply is a key area where the UK can advance progress towards the net-zero carbon goal by increasing the adoption of heat networks. The proposed expansion of the existing Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) derived heat network, to a further eleven estates across the London Borough of Southwark, has now been made possible with support from BEIS and Triple Point Heat Networks. This significant new heat network project will deliver low carbon affordable heat to over 3,000 Southwark homes, local schools, and enable commercially viable connections to future private and commercial customers.”

Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency and Sustainable Development, said:

“Seventy-nine per cent of emissions in Southwark are from buildings, so to achieve our ambition of being net-zero by 2030, it’s crucial that we take steps to green all of our homes and buildings and support the shift away from gas. We are delighted to see this significant project move forward to do just that on eleven of our estates and at five of our schools in the Old Kent Road and North Peckham area. This will provide a sustainable and affordable heating and hot water solution, which will keep our students and residents warm, whilst also making a massive reduction in the borough’s carbon emissions.”

Round 12

Vital Energi

Award: £16.9 million