Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions  -  March 29, 2022

City of Bristol Sets 2030 Goals

The Bristol City Leap project, a 20-year plan to decarbonize the city, will work through a public and private partnership structure to provide services including energy efficiency upgrades, wind and solar services, project financing, long-term operation, and maintenance.

Ameresco and its subsidiary, Ameresco Ltd., in collaboration with Vattenfall Heat UK, will target net zero goals through a series of energy and infrastructure investment opportunities, attracting approximately £1 billion of inward investment.

The project will span the 34 ward areas that make up the City of Bristol. Services will address all sectors of the built environment, including public sector facilities like hospitals, universities, and schools, as well as industrial, commercial, and residential buildings throughout the Bristol community. The City Leap program is designed so Bristol will pay lower energy costs, have cleaner air, improved energy infrastructure, and a boost to the local economy through the city-wide decarbonization effort.

“City Leap means large investment in Bristol’s energy systems and our ambitious carbon targets,” said Councillor Craig Cheney, Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Finance, Governance and Performance said in a statement. “We are creating a long-term partnership on a scale that will bring investment into the much-needed decarbonization of our energy system. It will help us to move much more quickly towards carbon neutrality, creating a cleaner, greener and healthier city that is truly fit for the future..”

Over the first five years of the partnership, the project is expected to deliver c140,000 tons of carbon savings and c182MW of zero-carbon energy generation. 

The final award is subject to approval by the City of Bristol Mayor and Cabinet, which is expected on April 5, 2022.