Energy Investment Programme

Accelerating the Borderland's transition to net zero

The Borderlands is home to a diverse range of energy assets. However, its predominantly rural geography presents challenges in delivering affordable, resilient, and low-carbon heat and power to communities and businesses.

The Borderlands Energy Investment Programme (BEIP) provides a strategic opportunity to accelerate the region’s transition to net zero. The programme aims to reduce carbon emissions, strengthen energy resilience, and create new green jobs and skills across South Scotland and the North of England, supporting a more sustainable and inclusive energy future.

What the programme will deliver

The Borderlands partners undertook an open Call for Projects to be included in the Energy Investment Programme. 12 projects are being taken forward, and will deliver a coordinated package of infrastructure and community-focused investments, enhancing community assets, public buildings, and housing through the development of practical technologies such as ground source heat pumps, solar carports, and battery storage systems to support reliable, lower-cost operations.

Other selected projects include flexible energy storage solutions, hydrogen production, and modular low-carbon energy systems, broadening the programme’s impact and supporting a more resilient, future-ready energy landscape.

Key facts

Programme title: Energy Investment Programme (BEIP)
Location: North of England and South of Scotland
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project lead: Borderlands Programme Management Office
Total project value: TBC
Funded by: Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal (£17.0m in England and £11.43m in Scotland)
Project delivery timescales: 2026-2031
Status: In development

Borderlands Energy Storage Transformation (BEST) Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)

Project title: Borderlands Energy Storage Transformation (BEST) Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)
Location: West Lakes Science Park, Cumbria
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Led by BEC and Expert Alliance, the project aims to deliver a 2.2MWh modular Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) plant in West Lakes Science Park, West Cumbria. Using UK-developed water-based air compression, it will demonstrate how renewable energy can be buffered without relying on batteries or scarce minerals.

D&G Net Zero Energy Centre

Project title: D&G Net Zero Energy Centre
Location Dumfries & Galloway
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Led by Dumfries & Galloway College, the Net Zero Energy Centre will look at developing a 1,000m² state-of-the-art facility to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, providing advanced, practical training in low-carbon heating and cooling systems, energy storage solutions, smart grid technologies and control room environments.

Northumberland Community Energy Ltd

Project title: Northumberland Community Energy Ltd
Location: Norhumberland
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Building on 11 installations to date, Borderlands funding will deliver solar panels and battery storage to 54 additional community buildings by December 2029. The project will cut energy costs, strengthen climate resilience, and reduce the carbon footprint of community activities across Northumberland.

Hydroluminum

Project title: Hydroluminum
Location: Dumfries & Galloway
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: With investment on Hydroluminum, Borderlands will support a UK-based pioneer technology that uses aluminium as a fuel source, converting it into ultra-green hydrogen, aluminium hydroxide, and heat without any external energy input or CO2e emissions.

PowerHub Demonstrator

Project title: PowerHub Demonstrator
Location: Dumfries & Galloway and Scottish Borders
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Led by Scottish Borders Housing Association and Wheatley Homes South, the PowerHub Project will install 238 battery storage units in social homes across the South of Scotland. Targeting households at risk of fuel poverty, it will cut electricity bills by up to 80%, reduce carbon emissions, improve EPC ratings, and demonstrate safe, long-life smart storage to support net zero homes.

Alnwick District Heat Network

Project title: Alnwick District Heat Network
Location: Northumberland
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Led by Northumberland Estates and Reheat, the project will deliver a low-carbon district heat and power network in Northern Alnwick, Northumberland. Using locally sourced forestry residues, it will decarbonise hard-to-heat historic buildings, homes and businesses, cut energy costs, support green jobs, and create a scalable model for rural heat networks across the UK.

Sustainable Community Buildings

Project title: Sustainable Community Buildings
Location: Cumbria and Northumberland
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Enabled by ACTion with Communities in Cumbria and Community Action Northumberland, the initiative will support 30 energy improvement projects across 20 community buildings in Cumbria and 10 in Northumberland. Community-led upgrades will improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and strengthen resilience in rural areas, creating warmer, more sustainable spaces for local services and emergency support.

Sustainable, Circular, and Low-Carbon Energy (SCALE)

Project title: Sustainable, Circular, and Low-Carbon Energy (SCALE)
Location: Dumfries & Galloway
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Backed by ACAP Ventures, this renewable energy and circular economy project - when fully commissioned - will create around 30 skilled jobs in the Southwest of Scotland. By integrating renewable generation with environmental processes, it will cut emissions, supply clean energy to local businesses, support net zero growth, and strengthen long-term regional resilience.

Borderlands Optimised Output for Sustainable Transport

Project title: Borderlands Optimised Output for Sustainable Transport
Location: Cumbria and Northumberland
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Led by Cybermoor Limited, this project will strengthen rural energy resilience and accelerate the transition to net zero by installing innovative Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) charge points at community buildings across Cumbria and Northumberland. By integrating EVs with local renewable energy, buildings will store energy in vehicle batteries, export power during flexibility events, provide backup electricity in power cuts, and act as resilience hubs during severe weather—while expanding rural charging and community car clubs to support local mobility and economic growth.

Woodhorn - Powering the Past and the Future

Project title: Woodhorn - Powering the Past and the Future
Location: Northumberland
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Led by Northumberland County Council, the project will install ground source heat pumps (GSHP), solar panels, LED lighting upgrades, solar carports and battery storage at Woodhorn Mining Museum. Using the region’s industrial heritage, it will showcase the economic and environmental benefits of low-carbon technologies, reduce the museum’s carbon footprint and energy costs, enhance the visitor experience, and support local STEM education.

Electrification of Heat in Papermaking

Project title: Electrification of Heat in Papermaking
Location: Cumbria
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: As a business operating in an energy‑intensive sector, James Cropper generates most of its energy use and carbon emissions from heat demand. This project will decarbonise that heat by electrifying the site, replacing natural gas with electricity to operate one paper machine. The new system will reduce energy consumption and emissions, allowing the machine to operate independently of existing CHP and boiler systems, supporting a lower‑carbon, more resilient future for the business.

Scottish Borders Rural Community Energy Programme

Project title: Scottish Borders Rural Community Energy Programme
Location: Scottish Borders
Theme: Encouraging Green Growth
Project description: Rural Retrofit will help homeowners in rural areas create warmer, greener and more affordable homes. Led by Scottish Borders Council, the programme will work directly with communities to deliver tailored energy efficiency improvements, all carried out by local trades, reducing carbon emissions and fuel costs while creating green jobs and building long-term skills. Designed as a scalable “rural retrofit” model for able-to-pay households, this trial can be replicated across other areas, helping rural communities lead the transition to a low-carbon future.