Bristol City Leap, an initiative to accelerate green energy investment in the city, has published a £750m five-year business plan.
The joint venture between Bristol City Council, renewable energy company Ameresco and subcontractor Vattenfall Heat Ƶ, includes a proposal to create 1,000 jobs - all paying at least the real living wage.
The plan, which covers the period from 2024 to 2029, includes proposals to transform Bristol with major infrastructure developments across the council's corporate estate and social housing, investment in the city's heat network and a range of large-scale renewables projects.
By 2028, Bristol City Leap said it expected to deploy nearly 200MW of low-carbon energy generation infrastructure - enough to power around 70,000 homes - while reducing Bristol’s total carbon emissions by approximately 140,000 tonnes.
“Bristol City Leap is going from strength-to-strength, adding to the £100m decarbonisation investment already made by our administration before securing this world-first partnership," said Bristol mayor Marvin Rees.
“Bristol City Leap is a big deal for Bristolians. In its first year, Bristol City Leap has delivered £4m worth of energy efficiency measures for low-income households in our city – helping people cut their bills during the continuing national cost of living crisis."
The Bristol City Leap business plan
Infrastructure roll-out: Bristol City Leap plans to deliver city-wide electric vehicle charging points; a social housing retrofit project including 167 homes and nine tower blocks; clean energy sources for schools across Bristol; and energy efficiency measures on the council’s corporate estate.
Heat network: In the coming months, Bristol City Leap will continue to develop the Bristol Heat Network, adding connections to local businesses and buildings in several areas across the city. From 2026, the construction of the strategic heat main, a key element of Bristol’s heat network, is expected to enable roll-out of low-carbon heating to businesses and communities.
Renewables projects: Bristol City Leap recently submitted proposals for three possible sites in the Avonmouth area suitable for hosting solar and wind energy projects. The chosen locations are being evaluated by Bristol City Council. Once initial viability has been established, local people will be invited to share their views.
The partnership is also exploring the availability and viability of further sites suitable for clean energy projects with Bristol City Council and with other public sector, commercial, and industrial organisations in Bristol and the West of England.
Mark Apsey, senior vice president for Ameresco Ƶ and Bristol City Leap, said: “Bristol City Leap is a world-first, game-changing approach to decarbonisation that could provide a scalable and replicable model for other cities to follow."
He added: "We are proud to be part of this initiative and look forward to working with everyone in Bristol to shape this green transformation with people, businesses and communities across the city. We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response received during our first year.”
Last year, local authorities in York and North Yorkshire announced they would replicate Bristol City Leap's model after the government committed £19m to a pilot programme of activity aimed at unlocking private sector investment in net zero projects.
