The seaside town of Worthing, West Sussex, has launched a decarbonisation project, The Worthing Heat Network.
According to a statement, the scheme has pledged to offer climate-friendly heating to every building in the town by 2050. The scheme will also see up to £500m of investment from partner Hemiko, a heat network investor, developer, and operator.
Polling from the Local Government Association revealed that 68% of local authorities are not confident in hitting their Net Zero targets. The new scheme is a standout positive example of climate action in a challenging landscape for local authorities, the statement said.
Worthing Borough Council identified the Worthing Heat Network in its Carbon Neutral Plan as the cheapest and most efficient way to decarbonise the town’s buildings. The council has brought in Hemiko to fund, deliver and operate the network.
The initial Worthing Heat Network Energy Centre will be a heat pump system, collecting heat from the air. Over time, the network is to bring on more and more sources of locally available, wasted heat.
The first phase of Worthing Heat Network received over £7m of funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Heat Networks Investment Project. This unlocked £40m of investment from Hemiko, and it plans to invest in the region of £500m by 2050 as the network expands.
Construction is scheduled to commence in July this year, with the first buildings expected to be connected by Summer 2025, including Worthing Town Hall, Worthing Hospital, the Assembly Hall, Portland House, Worthing Museum & Art Gallery, and the Connaught Theatre. The heat network will then expand from there, it was added.
Cllr Sophie Cox, Worthing’s Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, said: “The Worthing Heat Network is an exciting development in our transition to low carbon heating and an important milestone in our mission to be a carbon neutral council by 2030 and a net zero borough by 2045.
“I’m really looking forward to the council working alongside Hemiko on the next stages of the project and bringing low carbon heating to the residents and business of Worthing.”