A German energy minister has praised Stirling's low carbon District Heating Network during a visit for COP26.

Head of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and Energy Sector, Minister Thekla Walker toured the facility in Stirling recently. The £6 million project, the first in the UK to use a mix of cutting-edge renewable technologies to harness energy from waste water, is an excellent example of how cross-sector collaboration can help tackle climate change.

Delivered by Stirling Council in partnership with Scottish Water Horizons, with funding support from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP), the green heating network delivers low carbon energy to public buildings and businesses.

The Minister said the network represents the type of innovation public bodies must implement to inspire others into action in fighting climate change.


Minister Walker said: "World leaders have come together at this time to plan the next steps in the ongoing fight against climate change, so it was really inspiring to see something like the District Heating Network already in place in a beautiful location like Stirling.

"This is an example of forward-thinking, renewable energy production, which is exactly the type of infrastructure changes we’re making in Germany and want to see done elsewhere.

"The fact that the energy from this site serves public buildings like schools and leisure facilities just makes it even better and I would like to thank Stirling Council and its partners for showing us around today."

The District Heating Network is one of Stirling's key projects aiming to help Scotland’s zero-carbon targets by saving a projected 381 tonnes of carbon per annum –the equivalent of flying a passenger jet from Glasgow to Sydney, Australia, about 82 times.

Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Scott Farmer, said: "The eyes of the world are on Scotland right now and it’s great to know that amidst that attention, Stirling is already standing out as a leader in the fight against climate change.

"We were delighted to welcome the Minister and her team to see first-hand how the technology being used at this energy centre has made Stirling the home of a new era in heating, and we hope it has inspired her involvement at the COP26 summit this week."