At Labour Party Conference 2024, the New Statesman was joined by a panel of experts to discuss the role heat networks can play in reaching Net Zero targets. Watch the video above for the highlights from their conversation, and read on for our summary.
Scaling up heat networks
Jenny Curtis, Managing Director of Vattenfall Heat UK, explains that although “heat networks are coming and they’re coming to a town or city near you”, the sector is currently underdeveloped and requires significant government support and investment.
Curtis states that “currently we have around 3 per cent of the country receiving heat from a heat network. We need to get that to 20 per cent”.
This target, set by the Committee for Climate Change, represents a significant increase and will require innovative policy measures to accelerate the development and adoption of heat networks across the country.
Overcoming the gas infrastructure hurdle
One challenge facing the heat decarbonisation sector is the need for parity with the existing gas infrastructure.
Tim Rotheray, Chief Sustainability Officer at Viridor, highlights that “if you want to build infrastructure… you have to get the risk down”.
Rotheray argues that “trying to find a way for people who own and operate pipes and assets in the ground doing gas, trying to find a way for them to be incentivized to get into doing things like heat could be really helpful”.
By encouraging investment from companies already working with gas infrastructure, the UK could leverage existing expertise and potentially lower the risk for businesses looking to enter the heat network market.
The need for government intervention
Panellists emphasise that the UK government must take a more active role in supporting heat decarbonisation. Ravi Gurumurthy, Group CEO of NESTA, notes that while the government has made progress in the power sector, “everybody knows that probably the most difficult and challenging target we face is the huge ramp up in heat decarbonization”.
He warns that if there is not “a massive acceleration in heat decarbonization”, the government will face legal challenges.
Gurumurthy argues that institutional structures similar to those found in the power sector, such as GB Energy and a proposed Warm Homes Agency, could be vital to driving progress in heat decarbonisation.