Green energy projects awarded £91m in government funding

Plans for the project have been submitted to Bradford Council

Four green energy projects in Yorkshire have been awarded a share of £91m in government funding.

The projects - in Bradford, Goole, Huddersfield and Rotherham - are among seven in the UK to receive cash from the Green Heat Network Fund.

Bradford Energy Limited (BEL) has been awarded £20m to fund air source heat pumps to power buildings in the city.

In Goole, a scheme to use waste heat from a manufacturing plant to power homes and businesses has received £12m.

The government said investing in innovative heating projects would reduce carbon emissions and help to drive down energy bills.

Green projects in Reading, Cornwall and east London will also benefit.

In Bradford, BEL will use air source heat pumps to warm water which will be run through an underground network to customers.

The company said the scheme could heat public buildings in the city centre, such as the Law Courts and Alhambra Theatre.

In East Yorkshire, a £12m share of the investment has been given to the Goole District Energy Network, which the council hopes will provide heat to homes and businesses from 2024.

An impression of the centre planned for Goole

Alan Menzies, executive director of planning and economic regeneration at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: "We declared a climate emergency back in 2021 which has placed a significant focus on sustainability and climate change across the organisation.

"The supply of cleaner, lower cost heat will not only reduce the council's carbon emissions through the supply to a number of our buildings but also allow for residents and businesses to receive a financial saving, which at such a difficult time in the energy market, is vital."

In South Yorkshire, Rotherham Energy Limited will receive £25m to build a new energy network which the government said would power homes and businesses across the town centre, helping them to "ditch their fossil fuels".

Kirklees Council has also been awarded £8.2m to create the Huddersfield District Energy Network, to provide low-carbon heat and electricity to public and private sector buildings in and around the town centre.

Another ground-breaking scheme is the Langarth Deep Geothermal Heat Network in Redruth, Cornwall.

It will involve drilling to a depth of 5,275m (17,306 ft) to extract heat from granite rocks beneath the United Downs Industrial Site, which should be able to heat 3,800 homes in the area.

The Langarth Deep Geothermal Heat Network in Redruth, Cornwall, has also received a share of the funding

A plan to expand the heat network to supply more homes around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, has been awarded £1.76m; and in Reading, a £2.2m grant has been awarded to install a water source heat pump to cut its overall carbon footprint by 10%.

Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: "The UK is a world leader when it comes to reducing carbon emissions - but we must continue to push the boundaries to reach our net zero goal.

"These innovative projects will not only benefit the communities they serve, by reducing emissions and providing low-cost heating that helps to drive down energy bills, but also support the nation's push for greater energy security and independence.

"They form part of our energy revolution - creating hundreds of new jobs for our ever-expanding green economy".

The full list of projects to be funded is:

• Bradford Energy Limited - £20m to build an air source heat pump heat network

• Cornwall Council - £22m to develop the Langarth Deep Geothermal Heat Network

• East Riding of Yorkshire Council - £12m to create the new Goole District Energy Network

• Rotherham Energy Limited - £25m to build the new Rotherham Energy Network

• Kirklees Council - £8.2m to create the Huddersfield District Energy Network

• East London Energy - £1.76m to expand the heat network to supply more homes in and around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford

• University of Reading - £2.1m to help decarbonise its Whiteknights Campus, currently powered by a combined heat and power-led district heating network.