Green Heat Network funding boost for Birkenhead
The regeneration of Birkenhead town centre is set for a further boost with the announcement of a successful bid for funding to start the process of developing a new heat network in the town.
Triple Point Heat Networks Investment Management has committed a further £20 million nationally to develop energy-from-waste (EfW) projects in the UK, including the one in Birkenhead which has received £887,000 commercialisation funding.
Harnessing waste heat produced as a byproduct from industrial processes is an efficient and sustainable way to decarbonise our energy supply. The solution can significantly reduce the carbon emissions produced from heating homes, businesses and public buildings. Through the GHNF, projects across the country are rolling out this technology to recycle waste heat and drive the transition to greener energy solutions.
Wirral Council is aiming to decarbonise an estimated 7,448 new homes along with new commercial developments that are part of its ambitious regeneration plans for Birkenhead.
The support will help to kickstart the inception of the new heat network within Birkenhead town centre, which is expected to use a Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP) to harness waste heat from the existing wastewater treatment plant.
A mix of buildings will benefit from sustainable heating and hot water provision provided by the network. The network, once operational, will save a total of over 73,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next 15 years, helping the Wirral to achieve their Net Zero by 2040 ambitions.
The network will be installed, maintained and operated by a private sector partner, who the Council will appoint through a competitive procurement process over the next 12 months. The network is anticipated to be constructed over a 2-year period and will be operational in 2027.
Wirral Council will be advised by technical and commercial consultants and have appointed the Carbon Trust, with specialist Legal advice being provided from Womble Bond Dickinson LLP.
Wirral Council is ambitious in its plans both for regenerating Birkenhead town centre and in achieving its targets around addressing the climate emergency. When we declared the climate emergency in Wirral more than five years ago, one of the core principles we enshrined in council policy was 'helping to create resilient neighbourhoods and sustainable regeneration'.
We are delivering on that - our 'brownfield first’ development strategy is now the cornerstone of our draft Local Plan and already we are making sure that all council-led regeneration and development schemes have embedded in them excellent standards of energy and environmental performance.
The development of a new heat network for Birkenhead, likely to be powered using a Water Source Heat Pump, underpins our wide-reaching regeneration plans for the town centre and is a clear example of Wirral looking to embrace green investment opportunities, promote sustainable regeneration and develop infrastructure in line with the challenge of rapid decarbonisation.
