News: Rotherham Council’s Net Zero plans for borough

Rotherham Council is working out how the borough can reach Net Zero by 2040 which could include commercial or community-owned renewable energy generation.

A new Local Area Energy Plan would also include assessing the feasibility of a low carbon district heat network in Rotherham town centre.

In 2019, the authority declared a Climate Emergency and agreed a plan of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by the council and the wider borough. Targets were set around reducing the council’s greenhouse gas emissions to be net zero by 2030 and Rotherham-wide greenhouse gas emissions to be net zero by 2040.

Net zero greenhouse gas emissions means that the council will aim to reduce missions as much as possible. It will then consider balancing the amount of emissions produced with the amount it can remove from the air.

Tender documents explain that Rotherham Council wishes to understand the capacity of the market to deliver a Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) which covers the whole borough.

The plan would set out a pathway to "Net Zero by 2040" in line with local and regional decarbonisation goals, accounting for committed government policy and spending as appropriate.

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Evaluating projects, policies and partnership actions, the plan would also identify opportunities for commercial or community-owned renewable energy generation in the borough.

The documents also state that the council "wishes to understand the capacity of the market, costs and timescales associated with assessing the feasibility of a low carbon district heat network in Rotherham Town Centre, to include the identification of heat network opportunity areas, evaluation of low carbon heat sources (including but not limited to mine water heat, waste heat from industry and air, water or ground source heat pumps combined with renewable electricity generation) and technologies for implementation, delivery models, project costs, forecast return on investment and opportunities to attract external funding and investment."

Heat networks distribute heat or cooling from a central source or sources, and deliver it to a variety of different customers such as public buildings, shops, offices, hospitals, universities and homes. By supplying multiple buildings, they avoid the need for individual boilers or electric heaters in every building.

Rothbiz reported in 2023 that Rotherham Energy Limited had secured £25m to build a new Rotherham Energy Network. Proponents of the scheme, 1Energy, have given it a total investment cost of £61.84m. The low-to-zero carbon (LZC) heat network will distribute upgraded waste heat from the £150m biomass power station at Templeborough.

2.1 miles of pipes would distribute heat starting at Templeborough with a "West Network" that will go south west to the industrial areas and an "East Network" that will go north east to the south-western part of Rotherham town centre.

Passing the AESSEAL New York Stadium, the pipeline could serve Rotherham Council's Riverside House, properties on the High Street, University Centre Rotherham, Clifton Park, the Markets and Rotherham Leisure Complex.

Solar panels are also being installed at the new markets and library and Rotherham Leisure Complex.

Images: Schroders Capital / skyfilming