The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) will reopen for applications on 8^th March with £40 million available across two strands: 1) energy efficiency and decarbonisation studies and 2) deployment of energy efficiency technologies. The IETF is a crucial part of the Government’s strategy for tackling climate change and reaching net-zero by 2050.

IETF energy efficiency and decarbonisation studies

Organisations can apply for funding to carry out feasibility and engineering studies into energy efficiency and decarbonisation technologies. Firstly, this strand aims to help industrial companies build a pipeline of future deployment projects. Secondly, it aims to reduce the costs and risks of either industrial energy efficiency or decarbonisation technologies.

The total eligible project costs for a feasibility study must be at least £30,000 and for an engineering study must be at least £50,000. All projects must start by 1^st July 2022 and come to an end before 30^th June 2024. A project should last up to 12 months if it is a feasibility study or up to 24 months if it is an engineering study. Additionally, the end-beneficiary of the study must be a single manufacturing site or data centre in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

IETF deployment of energy efficiency technologies

This competition aims to support the commercial rollout and permanent installation of energy efficiency technologies at industrial sites. Eligible technologies must have been proven to work through successful operations or be qualified through test and demonstration; this corresponds to Technology Readiness Levels of 8, 9 and above.

Innovate UK has provided the following list of eligible technologies for guidance:

• monitoring and management equipment that improves the efficiency of processes
• more efficient heat exchange
• more efficient driers
• energy recovery from waste heat
• energy recovery from waste pressure
• onsite resource efficiency measures to reduce wastage and optimise the use of raw materials

Your project should have a minimum total grant funding of £100,000, start by 1^st January 2023 and end by 31^st December 2024. At this point, you must have installed and begun to operate (or be ready to operate) the energy efficiency technology. In addition, your project work must be carried out at a single manufacturing site or data centre in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Both strands will close on 14th July 2021. For more information, please visit the competition pages: strand 1 and strand 2. If you’d like to discuss a potential application with one of our advisers, contact us today.