Milestones in the decarbonisation project at Royal United Hospitals Bath
Under the Framework of CEF, The Royal United Hospitals (RUH) Bath NHS Foundation Trust has taken its next step towards becoming a more sustainable and energy-efficient organisation with a £21.6-million PSDS grant, and an aim to reduce carbon emissions up to 25%.
A milestone has been marked at RUH with the delivery of equipment that will advance the upgrade of the hospitals heating infrastructure.
Toni Lynch, Chief Nursing Officer, said: “This project has been many years in the planning, and we are delighted to see the equipment arrive on site.
“The environment and climate change has a direct impact on people’s health, and it’s really important that as a hospital, we act to reduce our carbon footprint for the benefit of our staff, patients, community, and wider society.
“We have got to this point thanks to a number of partner organisations: the Carbon Energy Fund (CEF), Salix, and Veolia. We are very grateful for their support to help us make these vital changes happen.”
Will Fairclough, Project Manager, CEF, added: “Project Clean Heat is making positive steps to delivering the whole PSDS project scope, funded by Salix. With the equipment arriving to site, this marks a huge milestone for the project.
The project team continues to strive for the RUH Project Clean Heat to be a success and looks forward to integrating the heat pump units, as well as other new technologies, into the Trust estate.”
John Abraham, Chief Operating Officer – Veolia UK & Ireland – Industrial, Water & Energy, said: “This weekend marked a major project milestone in our ongoing delivery of sustainable infrastructure upgrades as energy partner to the RUH.
With the arrival of this new equipment, we can begin to replace the existing heating system with more energy efficient technology. This is just one part of our holistic whole building approach that will help reduce emissions by 45,000 tonnes over the life of the contract.”
Director of Public Sector Decarbonisation at Salix, Ian Rodger, said: “It’s important that we celebrate these key milestones in projects, especially when the teams have worked so hard to get to this stage and put so much effort into getting the planning right so that these critical stages are delivered on time. “They still have some time to go and we’re proud to continue to support the RUH’s ambitions to reach net zero.
“They are not only creating a better environment for patients, staff and the community but this project is expected to save the hospital significant tonnes of carbon every year.
“This is better for all of us, and certainly for our planet.”
This is the latest development in CEF’s partnership with RUH, to aid them in becoming a more sustainable and energy efficient organisation following a planning permission application which will make major improvements to the heating system at its Combe Park site.
In 2024, CEF secured funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, a grant of £21.6-million. This is administered by Salix on behalf of the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
Ian Rodger, Director of Public Sector Decarbonisation at Salix, said: “The NHS has set challenging net zero targets and we are looking forward to working with the RUH as it progresses its journey in support of these targets.”
Toni Lynch, Chief Nursing Officer at the RUH said: “The RUH is aiming to reach Net Zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, for the benefit of our community. This decarbonisation project is a vital step towards this goal, and we are very pleased to be collaborating with the CEF, Salix and Veolia to bring it to fruition.”
While CEF will continue to manage this project through its construction and lifetime, Veolia have been procured by CEF to develop the scheme on behalf of the Trust.
John Abraham, Chief Operating Officer – Veolia UK & Ireland – Industrial, Water & Energy said: “Our work with the Royal United Hospitals Bath over the past 13 years has provided us with a unique understanding of the site. By using this experience, and our wider carbon reducing energy projects across more than a hundred NHS sites, we will be able to deliver major carbon and energy cost reductions that exceed the government’s targets, making it future proof for years to come.
“This key decarbonisation project for healthcare is another example of our strategic GreenUP plan in action as we help the NHS advance towards their net-zero goal. We look forward to continuing our long standing partnership with RUH and helping them achieve their environmental goals.”
Will Fairclough, Project Manager, CEF: “The Carbon and Energy Fund (CEF) were extremely pleased to be asked by the Trust to lead on the development of their PSDS Salix application and subsequent procurement of their energy efficiency and energy generation project. Working closely with the Trust and CEF framework contractors, the Trust has chosen a solution that has created an innovative carbon reduction project.”
