Energy Superhub Oxford, a transformational partnership project by Oxford City Council and EDF Renewables has been praised as an "exemplar of a best practice” by judges at the prestigious LGC awards.
Last night, Energy Superhub Oxford won the “Climate Response” category at the annual LGC awards, which aims to recognise and celebrate the very best of local government, from children’s services to climate change, housing to health and social care.
The “transformational” £41m Energy Superhub Oxford project was a collaboration between Oxford City Council, EDF Renewables, Habitat Energy, redT, Kensa, and Oxford University, which was completed in July 2022.
Judges recognised the Energy Superhub Oxford project, which launched in July 2022, as an "exemplar of a best practice” through its impressive and effective partnership working between the array of public and private sector organisations.
The project saw the opening of Europe’s most powerful electric vehicle charging hub at Redbridge Park & Ride which offers fast and ultra-rapid charging for 42 vehicles at once, all powered entirely by renewable energy.
The project also saw the creation of the world’s largest hybrid energy battery storage system, as well as the installation of over 60 ground source heat pumps for social housing properties in Oxford, helping to improve the heating of their homes and reduce energy bills.
Judges praised the project saying: “It’s clear that the lessons learnt and experience gained through this project should unlock further private sector investment, and so reduce the requirement on public sector funding requirement going forwards.”
Oxford City Council was also shortlisted for three other categories at the LGC awards for the categories of Diversity and Inclusion, Environmental Services, and Future Places.
Energy Superhub Oxford
Energy Superhub Oxford project was part-funded by the UK government and will help to unlock significant emissions reductions across power, heat and transport as part of the programme to achieve a Zero Carbon Oxford by 2040.
The Redbridge charging hub, which opened in July 2022, offers fast and ultra-rapid charging for 42 vehicles at once at Oxford’s Redbridge Park and Ride. However, with 10 MW of installed capacity on site, the hub has the potential to provide charging for up to 400 vehicles in the future - helping to support the estimated 36 million EVs expected on UK roads by 2040.
Unlike any other UK charging hub, the site is directly connected to National Grid’s high voltage transmission network via a four-mile underground cable, which will deliver 10 MW of power to quickly and simultaneously charge hundreds of EVs without putting additional strain on the local electricity network or requiring costly upgrades.
It is estimated that the project will save 10,000 tonnes of CO2 every year, equivalent to taking over 2,000 cars off the road, increasing to 25,000 tonnes by 2032.
More information about the project can be found here.
“I am delighted that Energy Superhub Oxford was awarded the ‘Climate Response’ category at the LGC awards last night. Oxford has a strong ambition to achieving a net zero carbon city by 2040, and this award recognises the hard work, innovation, and dedication of the council and our partners to achieve this ambitious goal. This project is a milestone in our work to reduce carbon emissions across our city, and I am looking forward to Oxford continuing to lead and innovate in this area.”
Councillor Anna Railton, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice at Oxford City Council
“It is great news that Energy Superhub Oxford and Oxford City Council have won this prestigious award. We’re hugely proud of the innovative approach we have delivered with Oxford City Council and this award is a testament to all the hard work everyone involved with the project has put in over the last four years. It is a clear example of the importance of collaboration between the private and public sector.”
Tim Rose, Programme Manager of Energy Superhub Oxford at EDF Renewables UK
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