NHS Scotland estate decarbonisation project information: FOI release

Information requested

1. Please provide a comprehensive list of all NHS Scotland estate decarbonisation projects ( planned, in development or completed ) from the 1st April 2020 to present including :

-NHS Board
-Site Name
-Project description ( e.g. heat networks, heat pumps, Fabric upgrades, CHP replacement).
-Project Status.

2. For each project identified please provide the following:

-Total capital Value (£).
-Funding sources and breakdown including :
-Scottish Government capital funding.
-Scottish Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation fund ( administered by Salix Finance)
-Salix Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme.
-Heat Network Fund.
-Any other public or private funding sources.
-Value (£) attributed to each funding source.

3. Please provide the estimated and/or measured carbon savings ( tCO2e) associated with each project.

4. Please provide details of all NHS Scotland projects included within the Scottish Green Public Sector Estate Decarbonisation programme pipeline including:

-Total number of NHS Projects in the pipeline.
-Number approved for funding.
-Total capital value (£) of approved NHS projects.
-Total capital value (£) of NHS projects rejected or deferred.

5. Please confirm whether NHS Boards are eligible to directly access Salix Finance administered funding scheme and if not please provide the :

-The formal eligibility criteria.
-The rationale for exclusion.
-The mechanism by which NHS projects are funded through these schemes.

6. Please provide ant national level reports, datasets or summary documents that track:

-Capital investment in NHS estate decarbonisation.
-Allocation of funding across NHS Scotland Boards.

Response

Please find enclosed a copy of some of the information you requested, in electronic form.

Whilst our aim is to provide information whenever possible, Scottish Government does not hold details of all decarbonisation projects which are completed, in development, or planned by NHS Scotland Health Boards. I suggest that you approach each Health Board directly to get details of all completed and planned decarbonisation projects.

I have, however, provided details of relevant projects funded via the Directorate for Energy and Climate Change through its Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant scheme and projects funded by Health and Social Care Finance Directorate from the Health Portfolio’s capital budget.

It may be helpful if I briefly explain the Scottish Government funding schemes which have been available to Health Boards. The Directorate for Energy and Climate Change previously operated the Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant scheme. Health Boards were eligible to apply to the Scottish Central Government Energy Efficiency Grant scheme. However, this scheme is now closed and Health Boards can now apply for capital funding to the Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund which is administered by Salix on behalf of Scottish Government. Funding for estate decarbonisation has also been provided to Health Boards by the Health and Social Care Finance Directorate from the Health Portfolio’s capital budget.

I have structured our response as Point 1 through to Point 6 to address each of your individual requests.

Point 1 – 3

Please find attached Annex A outlining decarbonisation projects for each NHS Board which were funded by the Directorate for Energy and Climate Change. Each table provides the:

• site name
• project description
• project status
• total capital value
• value attributed to each funding source
• scheme attributed to each funding
• estimated annual co2 savings

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

NHS Scotland is not eligible for the Salix Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme, nor were they previously eligible for the Scottish Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation fund - which was administered by Salix Finance. Therefore, we do not hold information regarding this.

As there were no supported projects, we hold no information concerning the Heat Network Fund for NHS Scotland.

Furthermore, we do not hold information concerning other public or private funding sources other than as detailed in Annex A and B. You may, however, wish to contact each Health Board individually as they should be able to provide further information concerning this.

Point 4

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

The Scottish Green Public Sector Estate Decarbonisation programme does not have a live programme pipeline. There is currently an open call for applications under Phase 3 of Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund. Applications close at the end of April 2026 and successful projects will be notified by August 2026. This scheme is open to applications from NHS Boards but at this time we do not hold the requested information.

Point 5

NHS Boards are now eligible to access Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund, administered by Salix, which has recently widened eligibility to Scottish Central Government organisations .

Eligibility criteria, rationale for exclusion and funding mechanisms can be obtained on Salix’s website here. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

Point 6

Please also find attached Annex B, which contains details of capital allocations in regards to Estate Decarbonisation and funding allocations to Health Boards between the dates requested from the Scottish Government’s Health Finance and Social Care Directorate. This does not include the amounts of investment listed in Annex A. These have been provided as two separate tables.

Please be advised, we have taken out capital allocations for Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure where it has been labelled separately in our records however, some amounts may remain where this funding has been part of a wider energy efficiency and decarbonisation funding request. There may also be other estate energy efficiency and decarbonisation allocations which are not reflected in this spreadsheet as it was not the main benefit relating to a project. These figures are, however, indicative of overall funding totals for energy efficiency and decarbonisation project from the Health Infrastructure budget.

The Allocation Funding Table outlines Revenue Resource Limit (RRL), Capital Resource Limit (CRL) and their combined totals. Allocation funding breakdowns may be sourced in each Board’s Annual Account publication and Health Board’s website can be accessed here.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202600513595 - Information released - Annex A and B

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