Tayside Health Board is to spend £15.4 million on building a new renewable power generator and energy-efficient ‘green’ lightbulbs.
Yet this will shave just 10% off the board’s annual utility bills.
The new energy centre at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee will provide 90% of the power and 100% of the heat for Ninewells, which also houses Tayside Children’s Hospital and Maggie’s Cancer Centre Dundee.
In addition, LED-lighting and insulation will be installed at Perth Royal Infirmary and Stracathro Hospital near Brechin as part of the project.
A 25-year performance contract has been signed with Vital Energi, which was procured under the Carbon Energy Fund (CEF) framework. Vital will be responsible for the design, construction, installation and on-going operation and maintenance of the technology for the duration of that agreement.
Lord Dunlop, a Minister in the UK Government’s Scotland Office, said, that ‘this extremely welcome announcement will make a real difference to the costs of providing energy to hospitals in Tayside”.