Welsh Local Authorities urged to seize slice of £6million pot to fund innovative energy solutions
Welsh Local Authorities urged to bring forward innovative proposals to develop and deliver plans for new heat networks.
Welsh Local Authorities urged to bring forward innovative proposals to develop and deliver plans for new heat networks.
Wales Office Minister, Stephen Crabb MP is calling on Local Authorities in Wales to take full advantage of a new £6million grant funding programme to develop plans for new heating and cooling networks.
Launched by Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker today, local authorities in England and Wales are being asked to bring forward ambitious and innovative proposals to develop and deliver heat networks that draw their heat energy from renewable, sustainable or recoverable sources.
This could include any system in which heat is generated off-site by renewable or recovered sources such as waste heat from industry, energy from waste plants and biomass combined heat and power. Many university campuses, new mixed commercial and residential developments and high rise flats draw their heat from these systems.
Wales Office Minister, Stephen Crabb MP said:
Harnessing all the resources at our disposal to the fullest has to be an integral part of our future energy security, as we aim to reduce our dependency on the more traditional energy sources.
We constantly need to assess how we use energy, how we think about energy and where we get our energy from. As such, I would encourage all local authorities in Wales to take advantage of this opportunity to develop more commercially viable low carbon heat networks.
Only by doing so, can we go that extra step further to helping Wales to stake its place at the forefront of the transition to a low carbon economy.
The bidding process to apply for grant funding starts today (20 September 2013), and will continue for 18 months through a series of six bidding rounds.
Notes to Editors:
For further information on the fund, please contact the DECC press office on 0300 068 5570 or visit https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/increasing-the-use-of-low-carbon-technologies/supporting-pages/heat-networks.
The fund will be managed by the Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) within the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The HNDU has been established to help LAs in England and Wales to achieve urban decarbonisation, local growth, improved energy efficiency and reduced fuel poverty through increased use of heat networks.
Bids will be assessed against transparent and robust criteria. These include the potential for commercial development, contribution towards low carbon and energy reduction objectives, compatibility with wider low carbon and growth agendas (where applicable) and a demonstrable commitment to robust project management and governance.
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Last updated 20 September 2013 + show all updates
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First published.