South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 14/10/2014

South Gloucestershire is to benefit from a share of £2.4 million of grant funding to support the development of energy efficient heating projects.

We have been awarded the funding through the Government’s Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) grant programme following a successful combined bid alongside Bristol City Council. We were jointly awarded £98,000 in funding which, together with matched funding of £49,000, will make the total amount available £147,000.

The majority of the funding will be used to investigate the potential for development of a heat network in the Avonmouth/Severnside enterprise area which could take heat captured from the treatment of waste at the SITA Severnside Energy Recovery Centre and distribute it via insulated pipes to local businesses. This would reduce the carbon footprint of those businesses by using heat which would otherwise be lost to the atmosphere. The SITA facility will be up and running in 2016.

A portion of the funding will also be used to explore the feasibility of expanding the heat network to other local areas, and will explore options for piping waste heat from Avonmouth/Severnside to the urban areas in South Gloucestershire and Bristol. Such a scheme could take advantage of the large amount of heat currently being generated by power plants and commercial processes in Avonmouth/Severnside.

In addition, a further £20,000 of funding will be used to investigate the potential for development of heat networks in the Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood development.

Chair of South Gloucestershire Council’s Planning, Transportation and Strategic Environment Committee Cllr Brian Allinson said: “As a council we are committed to lowering our carbon footprint and helping both homes and businesses meet sustainable energy targets. We need to improve the way we heat our buildings and find more efficient ways of supplying energy such as this innovative project.

“I’m delighted that through working with Bristol City Council we have been able to secure this funding for our region and I look forward to seeing the recommendations of these studies.”

Bristol City Council’s Assistant Mayor for Place Cllr Mark Bradshaw said: “This is a very exciting project and we’re pleased to be working in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council.

“In order to build a more sustainable future we’ve got to focus on finding new low-carbon sources of energy today and I’m looking forward to seeing where this project will take us.

“Climate change is top of the agenda and a huge priority for us in Bristol – we all need to work together to achieve the UK’s ambitions goals. The issue is not restricted to council or national boundaries, so working with our close partners in South Gloucestershire makes great sense and is what all our residents expect.”

We are among 32 local authorities with successful bids announced in the third round of Government funding. A fourth round of HNDU funding will open to local authorities in England and Wales on 16 October.