The ACC Liverpool Group has been awarded funding in its
latest step towards achieving net zero status by 2030.
The organisation, operator of the M&S Bank Arena and Exhibition Centre Liverpool, is set to receive £1.4m
from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which is delivered by Salix
Finance.
The money from the Department for Energy Security and net zero has been awarded to Liverpool City Council as owners of the campus.
It is one of 180 public sector organisations awarded funds
from the government Phase
3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme for heat decarbonisation and
energy efficient projects. The money will be used to replace hot water boilers
in the arena and adjoining convention centre – installed when the venue opened
in 2008 - with air sourced heat pumps.
The project is currently expected to directly save more than
4,200 tonnes of carbon over the lifetime of the project in addition to reducing
running and maintenance costs.
Eddie dos Santos, director of operations and venue
management at The ACC Liverpool Group, said: “Environment, sustainability and
climate action are key focuses for our Social Value Impact Plan which we
launched in 2021.
“We have already made significant progress across the campus
with a number of initiatives and are striving to implement as many changes as
we can to make events that we host as sustainable as possible for organisers
and visitors.
“This project will enable us to make massive reductions in
carbon emissions from the existing equipment and reduce our annual running
costs.”
Existing measures The ACC Liverpool Grouphas already taken
as part of its commitment towards sustainability in the events sector include
signing the net zero Carbon Events pledge and setting its own target of net zero by 2030, in line with Liverpool City Council. It achieved the Green Meetings Silver award
provided by Green Tourism following an assessment that examined all areas of
the business involved with delivering conferences and exhibitions.
Tom Griffin, managing director of CorEnergy carrying out the
project, said: “Having worked closely with The ACC Liverpool Group over the
previous 12 months, CorEnergy is very pleased to continue our relationship with
the organisation to support its journey towards Net Zero. The project is a fantastic example of how a multi-technology
approach involving LED lighting and controls and air sourced heat pumps (ASHPs)
can be used to drive material carbon savings and reduce energy costs.”
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
