The new allocation brings the total investment from the fund to £380 million.
The projects are located in Leeds, London, Maidstone and Cranbrook.
London and Leeds focus on decarbonising the Bloomsbury University campus and the Aire Valley Heat and Power Network respectively.
Minister for energy consumers, Miatta Fahnbulleh, commented: “We know that heat networks will play a hugely important role in providing low-carbon heating to millions of businesses and building owners, driving down energy bills.
“The Green Heat Network Fund is central to that, helping green innovative projects like these four fantastic schemes use waste heat and heat pumps to provide low-emission heating and hot water.
“These projects not only push us on in our journey to reach net zero but also support our mission to secure Britain’s energy independence.”
Ken Hunnisett, programme director for the GHNF, added: “We’ve started 2025 with the same incredible momentum that we finished last year with. The projects supported in today’s announcement highlight the hard work, ingenuity and collaboration powering the transition to a greener future for our built environment and the people that live and work among it. As well as homes and businesses, we’re particularly excited to play a role in decarbonising some of the world’s best and most prestigious university buildings.”
Cranbrook Heat Network Expansion project
East Devon District council has been given funding to expand its flagship Cranbrook heat network which sources heat via EfW.
The Cranbrook Heat Network Expansion received £6.95 million in both commercialisation and construction funding.
The network was previously awarded funding under the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP).
GHNF will help to support an expansion of the network to an additional 4,500 new homes and 24,500m2 of commercial and community space. The extension project will play a key role in decarbonising the two existing district heating networks that serve the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone area.
Councillor Paul Arnott, leader of East Devon district council and chair of Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone, said: “The Cranbrook Heat Network Expansion marks a major milestone in East Devon’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future. Backed by funding from the government’s Green Heat Network Fund, this project will deliver clean, efficient energy to 4,500 new homes and a range of commercial and community facilities. It represents a vital step in continuing the roll out of district heating and in reducing carbon emissions throughout the town.
“This expansion demonstrates how we can support the transition to zero carbon development and meet our sustainable development objectives, offering a powerful example for communities across the UK.”
Allington Integrated Waste Management Facility in Maidstone
The Maidstone project is run by Allington Energy Networks and will harness waste heat from a local EfW facility run by Green Recovery Projects (GRP). It received £782,500 from the fund.
The Allington Integrated Waste Management Facility is designed to recover energy from non-recyclable waste collected by Kent County Council. GRP aim to utilise heat energy generated from the site to heat over 80,000m2 of public sector buildings, as well as other commercial and residential properties.
Once the commercialisation phase is complete, the company hopes to move into the construction phase with partners GREN Energy, with the aim to decarbonise other public sector and commercial buildings in the Maidstone area.
Juergen Schaper FCC Environment operations director in its energy division, said: “With Net Zero ever on the agenda and a pressing need to invest in UK based renewable power sources as we seek to move to a lower carbon future economy, utilising the heat from this plant is vital. This project demonstrates that real progress is being made towards delivering low-cost, low-carbon heating to homes and businesses in Maidstone and we are proud to be a part of this major step forward.”
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