Lancaster City Council takes another step forward towards decarbonisation
Energy Systems Catapult, a leading net zero innovation centre, has been appointed to deliver a Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) for the Lancaster district to support efforts to tackle the climate emergency.
The installation of vehicle charging points is one of the issues that will be investigated as part of the Local Area Energy Plan
Lancaster City Council has set a target of making all of its activities net zero carbon by 2030 and is making steady progress towards achieving that goal.
To support the wider ambition of decarbonising the whole district, the council was recently successful in a bid for external funding to produce a LAEP and has now appointed Energy Systems Catapult to undertake the work.
Among the issues that will be investigated are renewable energy generation, energy network changes/upgrades, electric vehicle charge points, building improvements, and heating/cooling systems.
Councillor Gina Dowding, cabinet member with responsibility for climate action, said: “The development of a LAEP is a major ambition for the city council, enabling us to lead climate action beyond the activities of the council. I’m delighted that Energy Systems Catapult has been appointed to undertake this key piece of work.
“The end goal is to develop a whole energy system approach for the district that will establish how different energy sources can work together to deliver a net zero society.
“The city council will need to collaborate closely with key local stakeholders such as Lancashire County Council, town and parish councils, Electricity North West, Cadent and many others.
“We look forward to developing a roadmap which is robust, practical, deliverable and stands the test of time.”
Andy Clark, Business Leader for Place from Energy Systems Catapult, said: “Nationally the momentum around local area energy planning is building as more and more areas see the value in having a locally produced whole systems roadmap to decarbonisation.
“Lancaster joins around 65 areas across the UK who either have a plan or are working on one. This is great news, and those areas who have plans in place are already using them to unlock investment to help in the delivery of projects all aimed at reaching Net Zero.”
This project has received £150,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Last updated: 29 June 2023