What makes local energy projects investable? Five takeaways from our IPFA webinar
Amberside Advisors brought together investors, public-sector representatives and energy transition specialists for an IPFA webinar exploring how strategic partnerships can unlock investment in heat networks and wider local energy systems.
Held on 15 October 2026, Partnership Models: Financing Heat Networks and Local Energy Systems webinar examined how municipalities, funders and energy companies can work together to turn decarbonisation ambitions into investable projects, drawing on experience from the UK and across Europe, including Poland.
A global audience for local energy investment
The webinar attracted more than 330 registrations from across the world, with participants from organisations in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Europe accounted for the majority of registrations.
The audience included representatives from international financing institutions, including the World Bank Group, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and European Investment Bank (EIB), International Finance Corporation (IFC), alongside the European Commission, national and local government bodies, banks, infrastructure investors, asset managers and professional advisers.
This breadth of participation reflected the importance of finding effective financing and delivery models for the transformation of local energy systems.
Turning ambition into investable projects
Moderated by Maria Balyasna, Associate Director, Energy Transition at Amberside Advisors, the panel brought together:
Alice Berry, Head of Net Zero, Brighton & Hove City Council
Rémi Cuer, Head of Business Development and Investment Director, Kyotherm
Umut Aydin, Senior Investment Director, Meridiam
The discussion explored how different partnership models can help municipalities access private capital, share development risks and deliver energy infrastructure over the long term.
Drawing on the discussion, Maria identified several themes that stood out:
Successful projects start with a clear vision and defined outcomes. A shared understanding of what the programme is intended to achieve, whether affordable heat, decarbonisation, energy resilience or regeneration, provides the basis for testing feasible commercial models and making informed choices around customers, revenues, funding and risk allocation.
A programme approach can create opportunities beyond a single asset. Brighton & Hove City Council outlined its ambition to take a citywide approach, considering the district heat network alongside building retrofit, local generation and other energy infrastructure. Bringing projects together can provide a clearer view of the wider opportunity, potential sequencing and the role of a long-term partner.
No model fits every place or asset base. The panel considered how experience from the UK, France, the Netherlands and Poland could inform future projects, while recognising that no approach can be transferred unchanged. The appropriate partnership and commercial model will depend on the condition and ownership of existing assets, the customer base, locally available energy sources, financial capacity and the wider regulatory and funding environment.
Early collaboration can strengthen project commercialisation. Investors and developers can help test commercial feasibility, shape customer and contractual arrangements, coordinate stakeholders and progress opportunities towards investment. Depending on the partnership model, this may include committing development resources before there is certainty that an individual project will proceed.
Public funding and private capital can play complementary roles. Meridiam shared lessons from its Olsztyn waste-to-energy project in Poland, where long-term private finance was combined with EU subsidies to support the transition away from coal-fired heat generation.
Audience members contributed questions throughout the session, extending the discussion on investment requirements, partnership structures and the practical challenges of delivering local energy infrastructure.
Watch the recording
The recording of the panel discussion is now available in the IPFA Knowledge Hub, providing an opportunity to revisit the discussion and hear directly from the speakers. Access is available to IPFA members.
