Bristol City Leap targets rapid decarbonisation

Bristol City Leap is a 20-year project aiming to make Bristol carbon neutral as soon as 2030, primarily through decarbonising heat and carrying out extensive energy efficiency work on the city’s building stock. Existing heat networks in the city centre will be expanded significantly, potentially tapping into the waste heat from an incinerator located at Avonmouth by building a £100m, 20km heat main. Other potential sources of heat that could be used to power the network included disused coal mines. The Engineer will be covering the project in more detail for its upcoming February cover story, which explores the challenge of decarbonising the UK’s buildings.

Alongside the heat network upgrades - delivered by Sweden’s Vattenfall acting as a subcontractor to US energy services operator Ameresco - Bristol City Leap will also see Ameresco install over 182 Mega Watts of low carbon energy generation across Bristol in the first five years. According to the partners, this will include solar panels and low carbon heating systems for local schools, as well as energy efficiency improvements for Bristol City Council’s social housing.

The first five years of the programme are set to see £424m invested in projects that will reduce Bristol’s carbon footprint by 140,000 tonnes. Project partners are aiming to deliver more than £1bn of investment over its lifetime and create thousands of jobs for the city and surrounding areas.

“Bristol City Leap is a big deal for Bristol,” said Mayor Marvin Rees. “This is a world first and sets out a clear blueprint for city-scale decarbonisation for other cities and regions to follow. Bristol City Leap will have a real impact for Bristol residents including the ways that we power and heat our homes, which is perhaps more important than ever before.

“With Bristol City Leap, our city will become a real focal point for new low carbon technologies and smart energy systems whilst creating thousands of jobs and ensuring a just transition. I’m delighted that we have found a partner that shares our vision for a fairer, decarbonised future and it’s great to welcome Ameresco and their partner Vattenfall to Bristol today.”