Construction to begin on extension of Leeds’ award-winning low carbon heat network

Plans to extend Leeds’ award-winning district heating network by 2,500 metres will pass a major milestone as construction is set to begin within weeks. The extension marks the third major phase of the Leeds PIPES network and means that more buildings in new areas of the city will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of reliable, affordable, and low carbon district heating.

Leeds City Council has confirmed that work to construct the extension will get underway from the week beginning September 19. The local authority secured £3 m of grant funding from the Heat Network Investment Project, a government funding programme, to enable the £7.4m upgrades to go ahead.

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 businesses and residents to move away from costly fossil fuel powered heating systems.

Last year the network of insulated underground pipes, soon to stretch more than 28 kilometres (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. Buildings and developments located nearby can choose to connect at any time.

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. 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: “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.”

Lord Callanan, minister for business and energy, said: “Government grants have already allowed homes, businesses and public buildings across Leeds city centre to move away from using costly fossil fuels and this latest heat network funding will help many more to see the benefits of low-carbon heating.”

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.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily