Eco-friendly heat network projects to get £54m government investment

The government has today announced £54m in funding for projects relying on low-carbon heat sources in London, Bedfordshire and Woking.

The news comes as annual energy bills are forecast to reach £3,850 after Ofgem raises the price cap further in January.

Grants will go towards developing projects and completing construction which will serve around 28,000 homes according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

£28m will fund two projects in Haringey in London, £17m will be given to a development in Stewartby in Bedfordshire and a further £9m will go to a project in Woking.

Minister for Business and Energy Lord Callanan said: ‘These projects will transform how tens of thousands of households and businesses keep their properties warm.

‘By investing in cutting-edge low-carbon heating technologies we are helping to secure a lasting move away from using fossil fuels and protecting consumers from the costs that are driving up energy bills at a time of high global prices.’

BEIS have said the projects will provide carbon savings equivalent to taking 5,550 cars off roads, but the government has also committed to increasing fossil fuel extraction as part of the Energy Security Bill.

Two heat projects in Haringey – the Wood Green District heating Network and the Tottenham Hale and Broadwater Farm District Heating Network – will supply heat to almost 10,000 homes. Both will be powered by an energy-from-waste facility currently being built at Edmonton Eco Park.

In Woking, an existing heat network, the Thamesway Energy Limited, will be expanded to allow 3,450 new homes to be supplied.

Additionally, the Vital Energi project in Stewartby, using waste heat energy, will provide heat to an estimated 12,000 homes and commercial properties.

Other developments in Bristol, Gateshead, Leeds and Liverpool have also been awarded funding through the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP), with £250m being granted since 2018.

Under the Energy Security Bill, Ofgem will be appointed regulator of the heat networks market to ensure consumers are being charged fairly.

Photo by Erik Mclean