Council depot reopens as a ‘low carbon’ site following £8.3million makeover

Work included the creation of a large-scale solar farm and battery storage to meet all its electricity needs.

The measures, which are in the running for a national award, have been funded by grants of £5million from the European Regional Development Fund and £3.3million from the Council.

They were implemented in support of the Council’s Climate Emergency Response Plan to reduce its emissions and to make the Council net zero by 2030.

Cllr Mark Wilkes, the authority’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods and climate change, said: “We’re delighted to have invested alongside the European Regional Development Fund in this project which is key to our efforts to reduce our own emissions, whilst helping to meet our countywide net zero aspirations.

“A lot of work has gone into what we believe to be the first ‘low carbon’ depot nationally, with a significant solar farm that will supply all the site’s electricity as well as the introduction of rapid electric vehicle chargers for our fleet.

“The measures we have rolled out will save more than 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and reduce the council’s total emissions by up to four per cent, all contributing to our drive to make County Durham carbon neutral by 2045.

“They will also drastically reduce our energy bills across the site, with the project more than paying for itself with the savings, helping us save money every year into the future.”

The refit project has been named as a finalist in the national Association of Public Service Excellence Awards, in the Best Climate Action and Decarbonisation Initiative category.

Read more.