A planned extension to Leeds’ district heating network will begin construction after being awarded Heat Networks Investment Project funding, adding 2,500 metres to the network
Leeds City Council has secured £3.06m of grant funding from the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP), a government funding programme, to enable the £7.4m extension to Leeds district heating network.
This award follows a previous award of £2.4m for an earlier futureproofed extension into the city centre and marks the third major phase of the Leeds PIPES network.
The planned extension to Leed’s district heating network can be joined by any building in proximity at any time
By using heat and energy recovered from non-recyclable waste at the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF) to provide hot water to buildings in the city, Leeds’ flagship district heating project helps public sector buildings, businesses and residents to move away from expensive fossil fuel powered heating systems.
Last year the network of insulated underground pipes, soon to stretch more than 28 km (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 £49m 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.
Nearby buildings and developments can choose to connect at any time and the council has seen strong interest from private developers and public sector organisations across the city.
A variety of Leeds institutions have already joined the network, saving carbon and creating jobs
Leeds Combined Court Centre and Leeds Magistrates’ Court are the latest buildings to announce plans to connect to the scheme. The two buildings will connect as part of a wider programme of green upgrades over the next year funded by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Graeme Goldsmith, delivery director for HMCTS North East, said:
“Moving away from fossil fuel heating is a priority for us across the court estate as we look to build back greener from the pandemic and improve sustainability.
“Connecting Leeds Combined Court and Leeds Magistrates’ Court to the network will support our target to reduce our carbon footprint and our ambition to achieve net zero carbon by 2050.
“This project is a great example of local and cross-governmental working to tackle an important issue.”
They will join St James’s Hospital, Leeds Beckett University and the new Leeds Trinity Academy on the Leeds PIPES network.
The buildings will receive low carbon heat and hot water created by the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility, which generates energy from the non-recyclable waste around 6,000 households in the region.
The project, delivered in partnership with Vital Energi, has also helped employ more than 430 people in the local low carbon sector including 36 apprentices.
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.”
Mike Cooke, Vital Energi’s managing director (North & Scotland), said:
“It truly is exciting to see the award-winning Leeds PIPES scheme continue to grow and bring low-carbon heat to more customers. Each connection to the network is another step for Leeds City Council and the respective customer on their Net Zero journey. We’re delighted to be helping them lower carbon emissions and bring more affordable heat to the people, buildings and businesses of Leeds.”
