News, Politics

Energy firm E.ON could work with Nottingham council to reduce reliance on fossil fuels

By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter

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Nottingham City Council could partner with an organisation like E.ON to ‘eliminate’ most fossil fuel use and help the authority become carbon neutral by 2028.

In 2019, the Labour-run authority declared a climate and ecological emergency and set a target to become the first carbon-neutral city in the UK by 2028.

To become carbon neutral, the exact amount of harmful carbon dioxide (C02) released into the atmosphere must be balanced through absorption or removal.

To assist in its efforts to reach the goal, which the authority is still standing by despite ongoing financial troubles, the council is looking to appoint a ‘strategic energy partner’.

It will be taking inspiration from Coventry City Council, which appointed energy firm E.ON as its partner in 2023.

The British energy supplier has also expressed interest in becoming Nottingham’s partner.

A similar alliance would help provide qualified staff, more investment, and the quality of bids to get Government funding, the council says.

Plans to appoint a partner will be discussed at the People and Communities Scrutiny Committee on June 4.

“Although the authority is cash poor, it is rich in assets with potential for investment which will yield a reduction in carbon emissions with an associated reduction in energy costs,” the council says.

“These opportunities are attractive to commercial organisations.

“Having reviewed the experiences of the pioneer authorities in this field, a high-level plan has been developed that mirrors Coventry’s chosen route.”

According to the council, 11 organisations expressed an interest in working with the council.

Documents say E.ON has expressed interest in becoming Nottingham’s partner, while it has also offered to share its view on best practice based on its work in Coventry.

Bristol was the first city to appoint a partner in January 2023. Called Bristol City Leap, the partnership is helping with the development of the city’s heat network.

Nottingham also has a district heating network, which is the largest in the country, and the council has said before that there is a need to invest in the system to improve and potentially expand it.

Nottingham’s network uses high-pressure steam created through the burning of waste at Eastcroft Incinerator.

Turbines based on London Road then help provide heating and hot water to around 5,000 homes and 100 businesses across Nottingham.

Documents say the council wants to appoint its preferred partner this year, before the delivery of projects begins in 2026.

Priority projects could include the decarbonisation of six council-owned leisure centres, which “dominate the consumption of fossil fuels”.

It is anticipated a partnership could also accelerate the council’s journey towards net zero, and the “decarbonisation of the city as a whole.”

While carbon neutrality focuses on CO2, net zero includes both CO2 and other gasses, including methane.

“A governance board will be established with senior membership from the council and the partner to identify a pipeline of work packages which will then be delivered by the partner,” the council adds.

“Funding for the work packages will be from the partner itself, external finance and grants facilitated by the partner and grant funding obtained by the council.

“It is not expected that the council will provide any funding from its own budgets for at least the first two years of operation from the strategic energy partnership.”

Cllr Sam Lux (Lab), the council’s executive member for carbon reduction, leisure and culture, previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We as a council have reduced our emissions by 77 per cent since 2007, so we are actually already over three quarters of the way there.

“That in itself is really remarkable in itself despite all the challenges.”