Council lights up new green era

12.26.09pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 15th Jun 2007

Radical moves to reduce carbon emissions by running the borough's streetlights on "green" electricity have been agreed by Richmond Council and will become reality later this year.

Electricity from zero carbon sources will also be used to power some of the main Council buildings - the Civic Centre, York House, and the Central Depot in Twickenham - as well as eight schools. A contract has been signed to provide the electricity from a range of renewable sources, like biomass and wind power, rather than fossil fuels such as coal or gas. The two year contract - with Scottish and Southern Energy - will start on October 1 this year. In total it will save more than 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. It forms part of an expanding portfolio of green energy contracts entered into by the Council. Richmond has vowed to become an exemplar borough on sustainable energy, and the new contract is further evidence of the Council's green credentials.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Martin Elengorn, said:

"The Council is making great strides to reduce its carbon footprint and this plan to run the borough's street lighting and power Council buildings from green electricity is another step in the right direction. We have negotiated the most cost-effective deal and the contract underlines our determination and how serious we are in facing up to the climate change challenge. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do and we are developing a climate change strategy in an effort to bring down our own emissions and those of the wider community. Our new Sustainability Unit will put the strategy into action. We want to work directly with businesses and households to help them reduce emissions. All this is evidence of our determination to make significant cuts in emissions from energy use and the new street lighting contract is an excellent example. A key part of our strategy is to encourage, and engage with, local communities to take action. And residents interested in "green" electricity should call our energy hotline on freephone 0800 358 8588 to find out more. We are also working in partnership with the Carbon Trust to identify opportunities for saving energy across the Council and further reduce our carbon footprint,"