Worthing, West Sussex, has unveiled an ambitious £500 million project – The Worthing Heat Network – in a bid to decarbonise heating across the entire town by 2050.
Partnering with Hemiko, a heat network investor, developer and operator, the scheme aims to revolutionise heating systems.
The Worthing Heat Network is identified in Worthing Borough Council’s Carbon Neutral Plan as the most cost-effective strategy to decarbonise buildings.
Hemiko will finance, execute, and manage the network, which involves the collection of local unused heat and its distribution through underground pipes to provide hot water to buildings.
This initiative is projected to reduce heating emissions by around 90%.
The initial phases of the project will focus on connecting large public sector buildings, estimated to save over 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually and create approximately 40 local jobs.
With funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Heat Networks Investment Project, construction is set to commence in July, with the first buildings expected to be connected by Summer 2025.
Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: “Ambitious projects like this in Worthing are why the UK is a world leader when it comes to reducing carbon emissions.”
Councillor Sophie Cox, Worthing’s Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, said: “The Worthing Heat Network is an exciting development in our transition to low carbon heating and an important milestone in our mission to be a carbon neutral council by 2030 and a net zero borough by 2045.”
