Bristol City Leap is aiming to build an extra 180 megawatts of renewable energy generation
News Alex Seabrook Local democracy reporter 05:00, 19 Apr 2025
Seven sites have been shortlisted by Bristol City Leap for developing new renewable energy generation such as solar farms or wind turbines. The City Leap partnership is leading efforts in Bristol to expand the amount of energy generated locally, to help reach net zero climate goals.
Bristol City Leap has published a brief summary of its latest business plan, outlining the partnership’s work over the next five years. A core part of the plan is developing energy generation, and seven sites owned by Bristol City Council have emerged as candidates.
Their locations have not been made public yet, but were evaluated by looking at ecological impact, connections to the local electricity grid, and potential for generating energy. Wind turbines in Avonmouth have previously been suggested as one option.
Green Councillor Martin Fodor, chair of the environment committee, said: “It’s exciting to see the growing pipeline of essential projects to switch to clean, low carbon energy and help reduce energy waste and pollution in the city. We are also seeing the flow of private capital into new initiatives which is so vital to scale up climate action.
“Another important initiative under the partnership’s banner is the Bristol City Leap Community Energy Fund, established to provide important grant and loan funding to community organisations to enable a new wave of community led energy projects across the city.”
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City Leap is a £424-million deal between the council and two energy companies, Ameresco and Vattenfall, signed in 2022 to switch Bristol’s energy supply away from fossil fuels — which are causing the climate crisis — and towards renewable energy. Over the next five years, the plans include spending £89 million on local renewable projects.
The target is to expand the amount of energy generated by 180 megawatts. As well as developing new energy generation, the deal includes expanding the district heat networks and installing heat pumps. Upgrading the insulation in council-owned buildings also reduces the amount of energy needed to heat them.
Over the past year, projects worth £51 million have been signed off, and £31 million has been spent on making social housing more energy efficient. 10 new buildings were added to the heat network, removing the need for individual boilers which emit greenhouse gases.
Mark Apsey MBE, senior vice president at Ameresco, said: “The collaborative efforts demonstrated in this partnership reflect our collective commitment to lead Bristol in climate action.
"We are addressing the urgent need to decarbonise and prioritising the creation of jobs and support for local communities, with an impressive £15 million in social value generated through our projects to date.
“As we continue to navigate challenges posed by rising energy costs and the impact on households, our work continues to support the most vulnerable. Our initiatives, including a £10 million investment in energy efficiency measures for homeowners at risk of fuel poverty, directly improve lives. Additionally, our social housing retrofitting program is significantly improving energy efficiency across Bristol's housing stock.”
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According to the business plan, Vattenfall plans to invest £227 million over the next four years on expanding the heat network. This will include upgrading historic pipes in Redcliffe, expanding networks in Redcliffe, Old Market and Bedminster; building out a new network near Temple Meads, and interconnecting heat networks across the city centre.
Energy efficiency work on social housing includes replacing windows and doors and upgrading wall and loft insulation in thousands of homes. This should cut energy bills for residents and make their homes warmer, addressing the problem of fuel poverty. At the moment one out of seven Bristol households can’t afford to keep their homes properly heated.
