Landmark £63m Peterborough green energy scheme ‘which could cut bills by 25%’ takes big step forward

The project is being led by Peterborough City Council which is promising that it will cut energy bills by up to a quarter and provide green heat, electricity and transport for residents in half of the city’s homes.

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Hailed as the largest example of a city-wide energy system in the UK, the scheme is expected to cost £63 million in total and will deliver electricity into the city generated from the Energy Recovery Facility plant at Fourth Drove in Fengate.

The Peterborough Integrated Renewables Infrastructure project (PIRI), as it has been named, will see the energy delivered through pipelines into city homes.

The huge venture was announced in November 2019 and it has now received £2 million of funding to begin the design process.

The council said the project “combines a next generation heat network, electricity network and EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure under one holistic scheme”.

It said it will work in partnership with a number of organisations including SSE Enterprise, Element Energy, Cranfield University, Smarter Grid Solutions and Sweco UK to deliver the scheme.

Outlining the proposal back in November, Cllr Marco Cereste, cabinet member for the environment at the council, said: “Potentially this could be the most exciting and innovative clean, green energy project the city has ever seen.

On Monday, he said: “This exciting announcement will give Peterborough the opportunity to use its own green, locally produced electricity and heat to benefit residents.

“It’s a landmark step in our aim to be carbon neutral by 2030 and will be the most exciting and innovative clean, green energy project the city and, indeed, the country has ever seen.”

PIRI will be part-funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Prospering from the Energy Revolution challenge.

The council said: “Significant private sector investment has been secured for and by members of the partnership who each have existing decarbonisation expertise.”

The project is one of five to win funding to create energy system designs that can be rolled out across the UK this decade.

The council has pledged to make itself carbon neutral by 2030, and it said the PIRI project “aims to deliver a significant drop in CO2 emissions by 2030, whilst cutting energy bills by up to a quarter”.

Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “Every corner of the UK has a part to play as we eliminate our contribution to climate change entirely by 2050. This innovative project in Peterborough will deliver energy savings and reduce carbon emissions – a win-win for communities and the environment.”

Previous ambitious energy schemes in Peterborough have had mixed success.

The most notable was a grand plan to build renewable energy parks on 900 acres of council owned farmland which were scrapped when the government announced that support for large scale solar projects would be stopped.

The setback cost the council more than £3 million.