A £22m project to cut carbon emissions in the North East of England has reached an “exciting new milestone” according to the NHS.
North Tyneside General Hospital, part of Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT, has installed new solar panels that will generate 300,000 kWh of electricity per year.
The trust compares this to the typical energy usage seen in more than 100 homes with two-to-three bedrooms.
The project also includes improvements to the heating through changes to the hospital’s steam system and the installation of three new energy-efficient boilers.
The work is being carried out by Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management, a subsidiary of the wider trust.
The organisation’s managing director, Damon Kent, commented: “We’re delighted that this project has entered an exciting new phase of development.”
He continued: “This project will have a significant impact on reducing our carbon emissions at the site with an estimated figure of 75% CO2 reductions by 2030.”
The suite of upgrades has also included the addition of new transformers and two new substations.
The projects issues a “very clear statement” about the Northumbria Healthcare’s decarbonisation ambitions and “sets the benchmark going forward” according to the trust’s head of sustainability, Dr Clare Winter.
The work is being funded via the government’s public sector decarbonisation scheme and is scheduled for completion in October 2023.
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