The new company, Cheshire Energy Networks Ltd, is a joint venture between Cheshire East Council and French utility Engie.
Councillor Richard Bailey of Cheshire East Council said: ‘Cheshire Energy Networks is a further addition to the council’s portfolio of energy-saving initiatives and we look forward to working with Engie to develop a low-cost district heating infrastructure, exploiting carbon neutral or low-carbon sources.’
He added, ‘I applaud the previous work completed to get the project to this stage, which ensures Cheshire East is in the vanguard of district heating in the UK.’
Cheshire East is one of six UK regions which features a deep geothermal belt, offering the potential for some 4.6 million GWh. Engie has developed geothermal district heating projects in France.
Source: COSPP