Bio-energy grant fund

A £4m fund to support the installation of biomass-fuelled heating and combined heat and power projects, including anaerobic digesters, was opened to applications today.

Applications are welcome from industrial, commercial and community sectors. This encompasses public and private limited companies, from smaller businesses like pubs, clubs, shops or farms, to offices, golf courses, recycling centres, supermarkets and stately homes, right up to larger businesses like breweries, food processing companies and airports.

Applicants from the community sector can include schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, local authorities, housing associations and charities.

It is not aimed at householders or individuals who should consider the Low Carbon Buildings Programme administered by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).

'We have to take serious steps to tackle climate change by reducing our carbon footprint. As almost half of our CO2 emissions are the result of heating buildings or water or for industrial processes, switching our dependence on fossil fuels to more energy efficient equipment makes sense,' said climate change minister, Phil Woolas.