Key information
Decision type: Assistant Director
Reference code: ADD401
Date signed:
Decision by: Patrick Feehily, Assistant Director, Environment
Executive summary
Through the London Plan (policy 5.3), the Mayor requires the highest standards of sustainable design and construction to improve the environmental performance of new developments and to adapt to the effects of climate change over their lifetime. Through the London Plan (policy 5.1), the Mayor also seeks to achieve an overall reduction in London’s Carbon Dioxide emissions of 60% below 1990 levels by 2025.
The Infrastructure Investment Plan set out to identify the high level investment needed for London’s expected population growth to 2050 and energy infrastructure was considered to be one of the key investments required. The Infrastructure Investment Plan identified the need for a London Energy Plan that could consider and cost a variety of scenarios that would meet London’s energy needs with a low carbon, secure and affordable supply.
This project will look at the air quality implications of the first four scenarios to ensure that they do not have a negative impact on London air quality and meet the air quality policies set out in the London Plan.
Decision
The Assistant Director approves expenditure of up to £30,000 to procure and appoint consultancy services to model the air quality implications of the first four energy plan scenarios.
Part 1: Non-confidential facts and advice
1.1 Through the London Plan (policy 5.3), the Mayor requires the highest standards of sustainable design and construction to improve the environmental performance of new developments and to adapt to the effects of climate change over their lifetime. Through the London Plan (policy 5.1), the Mayor also seeks to achieve an overall reduction in London’s Carbon Dioxide emissions of 60% below 1990 levels by 2025.
1.2 The Infrastructure Investment Plan set out to identify the high level investment needed for London’s expected population growth to 2050 and energy infrastructure was considered to be one of the key investments required. The Infrastructure Investment Plan identified the need for a London Energy Plan that could consider and cost a variety of scenarios that would meet London’s energy needs with a low carbon, secure and affordable supply.
1.3 This project will look at the air quality implications of the first four scenarios to ensure that they do not have a negative impact on London air quality and meet the air quality policies set out in the London Plan.
1.4 Section 4.1 of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code (“Code”) requires where the expected value of a contract for services is between £10,000 and £150,000, an advertised tender exercise to be conducted or such services to be called off from an accessible framework. The tender exercise will include a minimum of three quotes to show value for money and competitiveness. A full invitation to tender is not required for the value of this service being required.
Why this approach?
1.5 The primary objective of the London Energy Plan is to model a breadth of data that is associated with energy demand and supply and to model a number of scenarios that would achieve the aim of London having a low carbon, secure and affordable energy system.
1.6 Small scale energy generation is intrinsically linked to local emissions impacting on air quality because the majority of energy generation is combustion based. Energy that is generated by combustion is likely to stay for the short to medium term. The impact on local air quality will change depending on where the combustion takes place (i.e. individual boilers v’s localised CHP).
1.7 The energy modelling is carried out using a number of complicated and interdependent excel based models. Due to the complex nature of the models it is considered too complicated to include air quality impacts in the models. Instead it is considered to be more feasible to assess the air quality impacts of the scenarios that achieve the primary objective of low carbon, secure and affordable energy supply in a separate study.
2.1 The objective of this project is to conduct Air Quality Dispersion Modelling for the heating technologies considered in the London Energy Plan in order to assess their impact on local air quality.
2.2 This study will deliver:
• A report detailing findings and recommendations
• Spatial maps showing the concentration of air pollutants estimated from the emissions rates of the heating technologies considered in the LEP.
• The dispersion of the air pollutants concentrations within the local area from the sources for four scenarios considered within the LEP.
3.1 This decision relates to research to support the implementation of the London Plan. The London Plan has undergone a full examination in public process including an integrated impact assessment. This project relates to the provision of guidance to support the implementation of existing adopted London Plan policy and will not have negative equalities impacts as it is a research and information gathering process.
Key risks:
5.1 The spend of up to £30,000 will be funded from the existing 2015/16 Energy Engineering Support budget within the Environment Unit and the spend is expected to fall within this financial year.
Signed decision document
ADD401 Air Quality Implications (signed) PDF