{"id":1665,"date":"2026-04-09T08:40:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/?p=1665"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:40:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:40:48","slug":"leeds-pipes-showcases-job-creation-and-net-zero-innovation-at-climate-minister-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/?p=1665","title":{"rendered":"Leeds PIPES Showcases Net Zero Innovation at Climate Minister Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff<\/p>\n<p><meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no\"><meta http-equiv=\"X-UA-Compatible\" content=\"IE=edge\"><meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no\"><meta charset=\"utf-8\"><title>Leeds PIPES Showcases Job Creation and Net Zero Innovation at Climate Minister Visit<\/title><meta name=\"description\" content=\"\"><meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Leeds PIPES Network Ministerial Visit\"><meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex,nofollow\"><meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"noindex,nofollow\"><meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\"><meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Leeds PIPES  Showcases Job Creation and Net Zero Innovation at Climate Minister Visit\"><meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"\"><meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"website\"><meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/press-releases\/leeds-pipes-showcases-job-creation-and-net-zero-innovation-at-climate-minister-visit\/\"><meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leeds PIPES  Showcases Job Creation and Net Zero Innovation at Climate Minister Visit\"><meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<h2 class=\"rich-text-case-study__title rte__title\">Katie White OBE MP, Minister for Climate, visits the 30km Leeds PIPES Heat Network, which has grown over 7 years to connect 4,100 homes and businesses, driving down both energy prices and carbon emissions.<\/h2>\n<p>Katie White OBE MP, Minister for Climate, recently toured the award-winning Leeds PIPES heat network, visiting key sites across the city to explore how the scheme has delivered outstanding decarbonisation and financial savings whilst acting as a catalyst for green job creation, skills development, and social value initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>Her visit included stops at key buildings connected to the heat network, including Leeds Civic Hall and Leeds Beckett University, where she heard how connecting to the heat network reduced their carbon emissions by approximately 500 tonnes per year, whilst reducing energy costs by around \u00a3250,000 per year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image rte\" data-anchor=\"\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-image__wrap\">\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__img-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rich-text-image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/a4siu5ek\/74.jpg?anchor=center&amp;mode=crop&amp;width=835&amp;height=474&amp;rnd=134055150146100000\" alt=\"74\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__text-container\">\n<p>Pictured left to right; Ian Whitelock, Minister Katie White, Tarik Jacob, Joe Callin, Councillor Katie Dye, and MP Alex Sobel at Leeds Beckett University<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/javascript:\" class=\"js-read-more-rte read-more-btn\">Solution detail<span class=\"btn__link font-ico-plus\"><\/span><span class=\"btn__link font-ico-minus\"><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<p>The tour then moved on to the Cross Green Energy Centre, which takes excess heat from the nearby Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF). The tour showcased the technologies and processes that convert waste heat into usable, low-temperature hot water and distributes it throughout the city.<\/p>\n<p>Climate Minister Katie White said: \u201cLeeds PIPES is a shining example of how local leadership and innovation can deliver real progress on the path to net zero.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image rte\" data-anchor=\"\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-image__wrap\">\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__img-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rich-text-image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/a35cufhe\/edited-v2.png?anchor=center&amp;mode=crop&amp;width=835&amp;height=474&amp;rnd=134055152581770000\" alt=\"EDITED V2\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__text-container\">\n<p>Pictured; Mike Worrall and Minister Katie White inside Leeds Beckett University Plantroom<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/javascript:\" class=\"js-read-more-rte read-more-btn\">Solution detail<span class=\"btn__link font-ico-plus\"><\/span><span class=\"btn__link font-ico-minus\"><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote\">\n<div class=\"wrap quote__wrap\">\n<div class=\"swiper-container js-simple-quotes\">\n<div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n<div class=\"quote__holder\"><span class=\"quote__icon\"> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"36\" height=\"28\" viewbox=\"0 0 36 28\"><g fill=\"#F58220\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M12.319 0h3.648a2 2 0 0 1 1.838 2.788l-10.286 24A2 2 0 0 1 5.681 28H2.033a2 2 0 0 1-1.838-2.788l10.286-24A2 2 0 0 1 12.319 0zM30.319 0h3.648a2 2 0 0 1 1.838 2.788l-10.286 24A2 2 0 0 1 23.681 28h-3.648a2 2 0 0 1-1.838-2.788l10.286-24A2 2 0 0 1 30.319 0z\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg> <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"quote__holder\">\n<p class=\"quote__text\">\u201cThis pioneering heat network, delivered by the council and Vital Energi, is not only cutting the emissions of home and commercial heating, it\u2019s also creating hundreds of good jobs for local people, and driving investment into the community. I was delighted to see first-hand how waste is being harnessed to bring clean power to Leeds as part of the government\u2019s clean energy superpower mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"quote__author\">Minister Katie White, <span class=\"quote__position\"> OBE MP, Minister for Climate<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<p>The Minister was joined on her visit by Alex Sobel, MP for Leeds Central and Headingley.\u00a0 Also in attendance was a delegation from Vital Energi including Ian Whitelock &#8211; CEO,\u00a0Mike Cooke \u2013 Managing Director,\u00a0Abby Whitelock &#8211; Marketing &amp; Communications Director, and\u00a0Mike Worrall &#8211; Project Director. Leeds City Council were represented by Joe Callin &#8211; Project Manager,\u00a0Andrew Lingham &#8211; Senior Project Manager and\u00a0Councillor Katie Dye &#8211; Chair of the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image rte\" data-anchor=\"\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-image__wrap\">\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__img-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rich-text-image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/cwwjtul3\/82.jpg?anchor=center&amp;mode=crop&amp;width=835&amp;height=474&amp;rnd=134055154790830000\" alt=\"82\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__text-container\">\n<p>Pictured; Mike Cooke and Minister Katie White inside Cross Green Energy Centre<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/javascript:\" class=\"js-read-more-rte read-more-btn\">Solution detail<span class=\"btn__link font-ico-plus\"><\/span><span class=\"btn__link font-ico-minus\"><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote\">\n<div class=\"wrap quote__wrap\">\n<div class=\"swiper-container js-simple-quotes\">\n<div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n<div class=\"quote__holder\"><span class=\"quote__icon\"> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"36\" height=\"28\" viewbox=\"0 0 36 28\"><g fill=\"#F58220\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M12.319 0h3.648a2 2 0 0 1 1.838 2.788l-10.286 24A2 2 0 0 1 5.681 28H2.033a2 2 0 0 1-1.838-2.788l10.286-24A2 2 0 0 1 12.319 0zM30.319 0h3.648a2 2 0 0 1 1.838 2.788l-10.286 24A2 2 0 0 1 23.681 28h-3.648a2 2 0 0 1-1.838-2.788l10.286-24A2 2 0 0 1 30.319 0z\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg> <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"quote__holder\">\n<p class=\"quote__text\">\u201cThe Leeds PIPES Project is about harnessing waste heat to deliver decarbonisation, but it\u2019s also about people. From the pipes in the ground to the construction of the energy centre, we\u2019ve worked with the council to create 450 jobs in total and training opportunities with local education institutions, bringing people into the green energy sector and spending money with local businesses. These projects are developed for the community and to bring wider benefits to the people of Leeds and not just the key iconic buildings and homes connected. It has been great that the Minister for Climate has taken such a keen interest in Heat Networks, and we are hopeful that this is a strong indicator from Government as to how important Heat Networks are to reducing the UK\u2019s emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"quote__author\">Mike Cooke , <span class=\"quote__position\"> Managing Director at Vital Energi<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-case-study rte\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-case-study__wrap\">\n<p>Construction on the Leeds PIPES heat network began in 2018 and, to date, has seen 30km of heat network delivered throughout the city, connecting iconic buildings such as Leeds Town Hall and Leeds City Library &amp; Art Gallery, as well as residential blocks and offices, with further expansion planned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image rte\" data-anchor=\"\">\n<div class=\"wrap rich-text-image__wrap\">\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__img-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"rich-text-image__img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/media\/2l5hxiey\/85.jpg?anchor=center&amp;mode=crop&amp;width=835&amp;height=474&amp;rnd=134055156261570000\" alt=\"85\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-text-image__text-container\">\n<p>Pictured from left to right; Yasmin Lloyd, Paulius Andriekus, Mike Cooke, Ian Whitelock, Minister Katie White, Mike Worrall, MP Alex Sobel, Councillor Katie Dye, Andrew Lingham, Joe Callin, Abby Whitelock, Dylan Radford outside Cross Green Energy Centre<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalenergi.co.uk\/javascript:\" class=\"js-read-more-rte read-more-btn\">Solution detail<span class=\"btn__link font-ico-plus\"><\/span><span class=\"btn__link font-ico-minus\"><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff Leeds PIPES Showcases Job Creation and Net Zero Innovation at Climate Minister Visit Katie White OBE MP, Minister for Climate, visits the 30km Leeds PIPES Heat Network, which has grown over 7 years to connect 4,100 homes and businesses, driving down both energy prices and carbon emissions. Katie White OBE MP, Minister for Climate, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"ve_media_section":[3],"ve_media_year":[],"ve_sector":[],"class_list":["post-1665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","ve_media_section-press-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1665"},{"taxonomy":"ve_media_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fve_media_section&post=1665"},{"taxonomy":"ve_media_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fve_media_year&post=1665"},{"taxonomy":"ve_sector","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vitalenergi.creativespark.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fve_sector&post=1665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}