The second phase of the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) has opened for applications.

The IETF is a fund managed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for businesses in Wales, England and Northern Ireland. Scottish businesses can apply separately via the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.

The fund, which provides approximately £70 million of grant funding, is open to businesses of any size registered and operating in Wales, England and Northern Ireland until January 13 2023 and aims to support industrial sites with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future.

The IETF funding is awarded to projects which:

• Enable businesses to investigate identified energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects prior to making an investment decision
• Deploy technologies to reduce industrial energy consumption
• Deploy technologies to achieve industrial emissions savings
• Improve the energy efficiency or reduce emissions of non-road mobile machinery

Twenty-eight businesses won funding during the first phase of the fund, including Chamber members Celsa Manufacturing (UK) Ltd and Rockwool Ltd.

Celsa’s grant funding will help them install a static VAR compensator to the high voltage Electric Arc Furnace in the Melt Shop, reducing the reactive power of the system and reducing the time it takes to melt steel. It is hoped that it will also improve the natural gas and low voltage electricity efficiency of the Melt Shop.

Rockwool’s grant funding will enable them to alter the design of their furnace’s cooling system to generate electricity from a waste product, import less electricity to the site, reduce water use at the site and reduce the visual impact to local residents.

Businesses wishing to apply during IETF’s second phase can apply here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-energy-transformation-fund-ietf-phase-2-autumn-2022