Government boosts Rotherham's green energy vision with £25 million investment

It was one of seven schemes to share in £91 million from the Green Heat Network Fund.

The £62 million Rotherham Energy Network would see excess heat from the Templeborough Biomass Power Plant transported to 34 connections, including businesses and homes.

Energy efficiency minister Lord Callanan said: “The UK is a world leader when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, but we must continue to push the boundaries to reach our net zero goal.

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“These innovative projects will not only benefit the communities they serve, by reducing emissions and providing low-cost heating that helps to drive down energy bills, but also support the nation’s push for greater energy security and independence.

“They form part of our energy revolution — creating hundreds of new jobs for our ever-expanding green economy.”

When the plans were passed in 2020, it was estimated that the benefits in the first year of the scheme would be a reduction of 2,874 tonnes of CO2 output — the same as burning 1,400 tonnes of coal.

By the 20th year, the plans said, the total carbon saved would be equal to using 7.3 million gallons of petrol.

The proposals — passed by RMBC in 2020 — said that there would be 50 construction jobs, plus four when the scheme was operational.

But it has also been warned that there will be logistical challenges.

Most of the network will be road and pavement, with the pipes — pre-insulated steel to reduce heat loss — being laid in trenches up to 1.5 metres wide.

In addition to the required roadworks, the scheme as passed in 2020 needs to cross water at four points.

These would be within the Sheffield Road plant site, at Bow Bridge, Main Street and over to Forge Island.

Rotherham received the biggest share of the £288 million Green Heat Network Fund grants announced last Friday (12).

The next largest was the £22 million going to Cornwall Council for the a first-of-its-kind deep geothermal heat network which will use energy from underground granite rocks to heat 3,800 homes.

Ken Hunnisett, programme director for Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management, delivery partner for the fund,said: “From Cornwall to London, Reading to Rotherham, funding will go far to help us reach our net zero ambitions and provide clean heating across residential and commercial buildings.

“We are excited to work with the teams in each of these locations to deliver these new heating infrastructure projects to help them deliver on their green goals and make a real difference to how we heat our buildings.”