AQW 17172/17-22

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 13/04/2021
Answered On Date: 22/04/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy whether her Department has undertaken any work in regards to the feasibility of district heating networks.

Answer:

The feasibility of district heat networks is being considered as part of my Department’s new Energy Strategy, with the draft Energy Strategy policy options consultation issued on 31 March, and a final Energy Strategy due to be published by the end of the year.

District heat networks operate by distributing heat for space heating and hot water, through insulated pipes from a central source to a number of buildings in a local area. Where the heat source uses renewable energy or waste heat, then such an approach may be one of a number of potential options to decarbonise heat in Northern Ireland.

My Department is currently engaging with The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on a National Comprehensive Assessment (NCA) of the potential for efficient heating and cooling in the UK, with a focus on the use of district heating networks, which is due to be published next month.