Work starts on £2.5m power project to help city achieve its carbon neutral targets
A multimillion-pound project designed to help Manchester reach its carbon-neutral ambitions is set to start.
Working in partnership with Manchester City Council, Electricity North West is to commence work on a £2.5m scheme improving the electricity network in the city.
The project will see 3km of electricity cables installed along Upper Brook Street, near the University of Manchester, which will provide a new connection to the council’s £25m Civic Quarter Heat Network (CQHN) announced in the Summer.
The CQHN is designed to provide low-carbon heat and electricity which will power civic buildings throughout the city centre.
Tristan Jones, project manager for Electricity North West’s energy solutions team, said: “Demand for electricity is only going to increase and changes need to be made.
“At Electricity North West we are at the forefront helping lead the North West to its carbon neutral targets.
“To ensure targets are met, projects like this are a necessity and it’s great to be working in partnership with Manchester City Council to help lower the city’s carbon emissions.”
Projected to save more than 3,100 tonnes of carbon emissions in its first five years of operation, the scheme is helping Manchester to reach its ambitions to be carbon-neutral by 2038 at the latest.
Manchester Town Hall, Manchester Town Hall extension, Manchester Central Library, Manchester Central Convention Centre, The Bridgewater Hall and Heron House will be the first six buildings to benefit from the new facility.
Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, planning and transport, Cllr Angeliki Stogia, said: “Manchester is determined to be at the forefront of the response to the climate emergency and as a council we are working hard to contribute to the rapid emission reductions which are required to meet the city’s ambitious zero-carbon goal.
“The Civic Quarter Heat Network project will make a big difference to the sustainability of some of Manchester’s most iconic buildings. The network has been designed to enable future expansion and carbon savings will increase as more buildings join.
“We look forward to working with Electricity North West and other partners across the city to achieve significant carbon savings in the coming years.”
Electricity North West is the region’s electricity distribution network operator.
Its engineers will start work on Monday, November 18, and it is expected to last six weeks.
To allow engineers to carry out work safely, a lane will be closed on Upper Brook Street from November 18 until November 27, and other roads within Upper Brook Street will be subject to traffic management plans throughout the project.
