Transport for London (TfL) has been awarded two grants totalling more than £16m from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is delivered by Salix on behalf of the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero. A grant worth £14m will be used to reduce carbon emissions at six sites on TfL’s London-wide estate. The second grant, worth more than £2m, will be used for carbon reducing measures at two London Underground depots. The successful grant applications were supported by the Mayor’s Retrofit Accelerator for Workplaces programme.
This welcome new substantial funding will be used to bring in carbon reducing infrastructure such as heat pumps, solar panels, LED lighting, improved glazing and wall insulation. Six head office buildings across TfL’s estate are due to be improved. This work will allow TfL to move away from reliance on fossil fuels that produce harmful carbon emissions and help get closer to achieving TfL and the Mayor’s goal of making London a net zero city by 2030.
Currently gas use at Palestra, TfL’s head office in Southwark, represents 45 per cent of all TfL head office gas use and 22 per cent of TfL’s office carbon emissions, however once the work funded by the grant is completed, both will be reduced to zero. TfL forecasts that the Salix grant will bring about a reduction of emissions by 1,732 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) a year.
TfL has also been awarded £2.3m of grant funding to decarbonise buildings at both Neasden Depot and Finchley Central Signals Depot for London Underground. These projects will target the replacement of ageing fossil fuelled heating systems with low carbon alternatives as well as improving building performance through implementation of fabric measures. Upon completion, these buildings will be better insulated, more comfortable places to work, with modern, low carbon systems such as heat pumps, LED lighting and solar panels. It is anticipated this project will reduce emissions by 300 tCO2e a year.
Last year, the PSDS awarded £592,000 to TfL for work to make the London Trams depot at Therapia Lane TfL’s first of a number of low carbon depots– making it cleaner, greener and cheaper to run.
The Therapia Lane project will upgrade heating systems with a mixture of efficient heat pumps and infrared panel heaters that will replace inefficient fossil fuel gas boilers. The additional electricity consumption from the new heating system is planned to be offset by using 1,800m2 of south-facing roof space for solar panels, as well as other energy efficiency measures such as improved insulation and LED lighting. This new heating and power system is forecast to reduce carbon emissions by 148 tCO2e a year.
Lilli Matson, TfL’s Chief Safety, Health and Environment Officer, said: “We are very pleased to have received this grant from Government, which will help us go faster in our plans to decarbonise our estate. By bringing forward plans to get us closer to the Mayor’s 2030 net zero target, we are getting ever closer to our vision of being a strong, green heartbeat for London.
“As London’s main public transport provider, we have a vital role to play, making our organisation and network ready to respond to the climate emergency and taking action to reduce harmful pollution in our city. We are committed to helping London thrive and become a sustainable city.”
