Bristol City Council has finalised an energy deal to bring in over £1bn of investment to make the city carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030.
The Bristol City Leap initiative between the council and US energy company Ameresco aims to transform the way Bristol generates, distributes, stores and uses energy. European energy company Vattenfall is also part of the joint venture as a sub-contractor.
According to the council, the goal of the partnership is to achieve its net-zero targets by rapidly increasing the scale and pace of investment into low-carbon energy infrastructure in the city. Over the next five years, Bristol City Leap is expected to deliver at least £424m in a range of large infrastructure projects to reduce Bristol’s carbon footprint by 140,000 tonnes.
Marvin Rees, Bristol’s mayor, said: “Bristol City Leap is a big deal for Bristol. This is a world first and sets out a clear blueprint for city-scale decarbonisation for other cities and regions to follow.
“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.”
Projects in the energy deal will include a major expansion of Bristol’s award-winning Heat Network, which will provide local businesses and residents with low-carbon heat from sustainable sources. Solar panels and low-carbon heating systems will also be installed at local schools, while the council’s social housing will be made more energy-efficient.
Bristol City Council estimates that the energy initiative will deliver a minimum of £61.5m of social value to the city, create over 1,000 jobs and install over 182 megawatts of low-carbon energy generation across the area over the first five years of operation.
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