About Bristol City Leap
Bristol City Leap is a world first, game-changing approach towards decarbonisation at city-scale. We are a twenty-year joint venture partnership between Bristol City Council, Ameresco and Vattenfall Heat UK which will enable the delivery of over £1 billion of investment into Bristol’s energy system.
Put simply, this means a transformative boost in the amount of renewable energy and decarbonised heat powering our city, which in turn means a cleaner, better and healthier place to live, learn, work and play.
During the first five years of the partnership, at least £424 million will be invested in a range of large infrastructure projects including the significant expansion of Bristol’s award-winning Heat Network that provides local businesses and residents with access to reliable, affordable low carbon heat from sustainable sources. Solar panels and low carbon heating systems will be installed at local schools, the council’s social housing will be made more energy efficient to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, and substantial investment will go into community-owned renewable energy projects to help residents play a part in Bristol’s journey to carbon neutrality.
An initiative with social value at its heart
We’ve estimated that Bristol City Leap will deliver a minimum of £61.5m of social value to the city over the next five years including over 1,000 new jobs, apprenticeships and work placements, a new Community Energy Fund worth £1.5m. In addition, the initiative will ensure that Bristol City Leap staff, and any sub-contractors within our supply chain, are paid at least the Real Living Wage.
Our five-year plan
We have published a summary of our Business Plan which covers the range of projects and activities that Bristol City Leap will deliver over the next five years. Commitments from our Business Plan are:
You can view and download a summary of our latest Business Plan by clicking on the button below.
To view our initial Business Plan that was published in December of 2022, please click here.
About the partners
Bristol City Leap is a twenty-year joint venture that is 50% owned by Bristol City Council and 50% owned by Ameresco, working with our essential subcontractor, Vattenfall Heat UK – a coming together of global partners from the UK, the USA and Sweden. You can find out more about the three partners below.
Since 2005 Bristol City Council has been engaged in a series of energy efficiency and investment initiatives to cut its carbon emissions by nearly 80%, whilst investing over £100m in sustainable projects since 2016.
Ameresco is a leading independent provider of comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for facilities throughout North America and the United Kingdom, delivering long-term value through innovative systems, strategies and technologies.
Vattenfall is a Swedish multinational power company owned by the Swedish State which specialises in Heat Network delivery and is acting as an “essential sub-contractor” for Ameresco Ltd.
