Subscribe to our Construction Newsfeed
UK Construction Directory
Search our 156,820 companies....

Construction News

18/02/2020

New Fund Established To Cut Carbon Emissions Across The UK

Construction News Image
Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng has announced a £90 million fund to help cut carbon emissions in industry and homes.

£70 million will include funding for 2 of Europe's first-ever low carbon hydrogen production plants - the first on the banks of the Mersey, the second planned for near Aberdeen. A third project will develop technology to harness offshore wind off the Grimsby coast to power electrolysis and produce hydrogen.

Hydrogen is a low or zero-emission alternative to fossil fuels which could power future industry and transport. The investment will also fund projects to trial cutting-edge technologies for switching industrial production from fossil fuels to renewables in industries such as cement and glass production.

The remaining £20 million will be used to fund projects aimed at cutting household emissions and bills through nine UK-wide local "smart energy" projects. Over 250,000 people could have their homes powered by local renewable sources by 2030 – which could lead to their energy bills reducing by as much as half, thanks to this government funding.
-- Advertisement --
hss



If successful, the 10 community pilot projects from Rugeley near Stafford to Coleraine in Northern Ireland could revolutionise local energy generation – allowing local communities to join the frontline in the fight against climate change.

In Rugeley, a coal fired power station is to be demolished and turned into a sustainable village of 2,300 homes. Residents will benefit from thermal storage units instead of traditional gas boilers, enabling them to draw, store and heat their homes with geothermal energy from local canals and disused mine shafts.

In Coleraine, a micro-grid of nearly 100 homes will be established, powered entirely by local wind power. It will help lower household electricity bills by as much as 50% and boost the contribution of renewables to the local energy mix by a quarter.

Visiting the Gigastack project in Grimsby today, Kwasi Kwarteng, Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, said: "Cleaning up emissions from industry and housing is a big challenge but today's £90 million investment will set us on the right path as we develop clean technologies like hydrogen.

"This is an important part of our world-leading efforts in eliminating our contribution to climate change by 2050 while also growing our economy, creating up to 2 million green collar jobs across the country by 2030."

This investment in low carbon innovation will be crucial to help us end our contribution to climate change by 2050.

The news comes just 2 weeks after the Prime Minister announced plans to bring forward the phase-out of coal to 2024 as we continue to ramp up our Year of Climate Action ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November.

(MH/JG)

Latest Construction News

05/02/2025
Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) and ECF, a joint venture between Homes England, Legal & General, and Muse, have selected Vinci as the preferred contractor for Phase 1 of Stockport 8, a £350 million residential development west of Stockport town centre. The decision follows a competi
05/02/2025
Vistry Group has finalised contracts for a significant housing development in Hinckley, Leicestershire, securing outline planning permission to deliver 475 new homes in the area. The development, located east of Stoke Road and north of Normandy Way in the town's northern region, has a projected val
05/02/2025
Wilten Construction has been awarded a second Design and Build contract at Gateway 14 by client Gateway 14 Ltd and Jaynic. The project involves the development of a state-of-the-art, three-storey Skills and Innovation Centre spanning 35,000 sq ft in the heart of Gateway 14. Designed to achieve BREE
05/02/2025
Knowsley Council has approved a major housing development in Kirkby, giving the green light to 800 new energy-efficient homes in the town's centre. The decision also secures £7.7 million in Section 106 contributions from developer Barratt David Wilson Homes, further boosting local investment. The
05/02/2025
Keepmoat Homes has announced plans to invest over £50 million in three new housing developments across Calderdale, aiming to deliver more than 200 new homes. The developments, undertaken in partnership with Calderdale Council, form part of the North Halifax Transformation Programme, a local authori
05/02/2025
Essential renewal work at Skerne Road level crossing in Driffield has been completed. Over a six-day period, engineers replaced decades-old equipment, installing a state-of-the-art operating system, replacing the level crossing deck, and resurfacing the road. The newly installed operating system is
05/02/2025
Construction firm GRAHAM is currently carrying out essential restoration work at the National Railway Museum in York, replacing the Grade II listed roof structure at Station Hall. Originally built between 1875 and 1877 as a goods station, Station Hall now houses the museum’s six royal carriages.
05/02/2025
Mezzanine floors are commonly associated with additional storage or expanded floor space, but did you know they can also have a profound impact on employee productivity and morale? At Doity Engineering, we specialise in designing and installing mezzanine floors for
05/02/2025
Construction work is commencing on a new solar array at Weeton Barracks in Lancashire that will generate over one third of the site’s energy needs. The work has been funded under the British Army’s Project Prometheus, a scheme that is increasing renewable energy across the army estate through inst
05/02/2025
The regeneration of Hartlepool's waterfront has reached a significant milestone with a £631,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The funding will support the development phase of the 'Tides of Change' project, aimed at transforming the visitor experience at the Museum of Hartlepool a
Think Construction Skills Ltd.T & D Glazing And Installation LimitedAqua Direct LtdStuart CanvasBRICOFLOR UKLakeside HireEfco UK LtdCTE Construction Tooling & EquipmentThe Stonemart LtdAmber Valley Stone Ltd