Wakefield Council plans low-carbon heating for city centre

Funding has been secured to develop plans for a low carbon heating network in Wakefield city centre.

The scheme would provide greener heating to public buildings, including Wakefield Town Hall and Wakefield One.

Heat networks, also known as district heating systems, provide heat from a central source through a network of underground insulated pipes carrying hot water.

Wakefield Council has confirmed it has been awarded more than £400,000 to carry out a feasibility study of the project.

The money includes £289,000 to carry out the feasibility study and a further £130,000 to investigate the creation of a similar network in Knottingley.

It is hoped that Pinderfields and Fieldhead hospitals, Wakefield College and the city’s maximum security prison will also benefit from the scheme.

There are more than 14,000 district heating networks in the UK, including some being developed or already in place in Kirklees, Bradford and Leeds, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A council report said: “The Wakefield district heating scheme would bring affordable low-emission/zero-carbon heat to the city centre, reduce long-term dependence on gas and heating and help residents in poverty.”

The proposals include creating a 3-mile (6.5 km) network to power downtown buildings.

A second feasibility study was carried out to identify sources of waste heat in the Knottingley area, particularly from the former Ferrybridge power stations.

The report says that, in theory, it could heat 21,000 homes.

Funding for the projects was provided by the government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

The council agreed to accept the funding at a previous meeting and the studies would have been expected to take around 12 months.