Hospitals, military sites and prison to receive £74 million for clean energy
Ministers said this will help to cut bills and create savings that can be reinvested locally.
Eight military sites, 82 NHS trusts and one prison will receive a share of £74 million to support clean energy and energy efficiency, the Government has announced.
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The money will help frontline services to roll out technologies such as solar panels, heat pumps, battery storage and more efficient lighting.
Ministers said this will help to cut bills and create savings that can be reinvested locally.
Among those to benefit is Lincoln County Hospital, which will receive £1.2 million to install solar panels.
The Harbour mental health hospital in Blackpool will also receive £590,000 to install new battery technology.
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Several Royal Air Force (RAF) stations, such as RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Waddington and RAF Marham, will get funding for energy upgrades to help manage usage.
HMP Channings Wood in Devon will receive £495,000 for solar panels and almost £250,000 for electrical and plumbing works to help reduce heat loss, the Government said.
Minister for energy consumers Martin McCluskey said: “More money will go straight to frontline services as hospitals, prisons and military sites benefit from cheaper bills and cutting-edge green technology.
“This is our clean power mission in action – cutting bills, investing in public services and providing energy security for our country.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “With lower bills for hospitals, better value for money, and a cleaner, more efficient NHS, everybody wins.
“Every penny of these savings will be redirected straight back into frontline care and delivering an NHS patients, staff and the whole country can be proud of again.
“This investment will help us build an NHS fit for the future.”
The Government said the funding will help 190 NHS sites save more than £30 million a year on their energy bills and support military sites across England and Scotland to save hundreds of thousands of pounds.
As part of this, Great British Energy will help to deliver more than £9 million for batteries and solar panels.
It builds on the publicly owned energy company’s £255 million investment in solar power for hospitals, schools and military sites last year, the Government said.
Dan McGrail, chief executive of GB Energy, said: “Communities are at the heart of our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.
“Clean local energy projects enable communities to directly benefit from cleaner, more secure power.
“This funding will help to create an immediate reduction in energy bills so that millions of pounds can be invested back into vital services for the British public.”