#19: Building more than networks: How energy infrastructure creates social value AND saves carbon.

When you hear about half-billion-pound heat network projects, you probably think: carbon savings, right? 

But what if I told you these massive energy infrastructure schemes are also creating apprenticeships, building local supply chains, and bringing serious inward investment to cities? 

Kit Gillibrand from Hermetica Black has spent over a decade turning complex energy projects into reality – from Madagascar to Manchester. And he's got a powerful message: the best energy infrastructure projects don't just decarbonize cities, they transform them. 

In this conversation, Kit explains how places like Greater Manchester are using long-term energy contracts to develop local skills, why removing government grants might actually force better decisions, and how energy infrastructure is becoming the foundation for development rather than a cost on top of it. 

If you've ever wondered how these enormous projects actually get financed, built, and delivered – or why they're about so much more than just saving carbon – this episode is for you. 

🎧 Listen to Carbon Clarity – wherever you get your podcasts.

Things mentioned in the show:

Find Kit on LinkedIn, here.

Find Hermetica Black, here.

The Spark Gap - the difference in cost / kWh of gas and electricity. Useful article from the EcoExperts here.

The HMT Green Book - guidance for evaluating project from .Gov. Explanation provided by Thornton & Lowe here.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) - info from the Government here.

Website: https://www.hut22.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-couling/

Music credits:
March of the Bold by Balloon Planet (via Artlist.io)
Check out their stuff here: https://soundcloud.com/balloon-planet