A crane has hoisted heat pumps onto the roof of the Treatment Centre at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in the latest phase of a £16.2m decarbonisation project.

Rooftop solar work is also under way, with mounting frames installed and the first delivery of panels due by the end of the month.

One water source and one air source heat pump have been delivered and lifted into position, with two further air source units scheduled to arrive next month. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs the site, is partnering with Vital Energi to deliver the scheme.

"This fantastic project is really taking shape and brings us closer to our vision of achieving our Net Zero goals. It was great to see this intricate operation to place these pumps on the roof of the Treatment Centre. Our aim is to create more modern facilities and sustainable health services, which will benefit our patients, colleagues and visitors," said Inese Robotham, Assistant Chief Exec, and Chair of the Trust's Climate Group.

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The project is funded through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and is being delivered via the Carbon and Energy Fund (CEF) Framework, established to finance complex energy infrastructure upgrades for public sector organisations.

The programme will retire ageing steam boilers and other gas-fired equipment, replacing them with a 1.6MW system of air and water source heat pumps to provide low carbon heating, hot water and chilled water across the site, fully de‑steaming the estate. Additional measures include solar panels, optimisation of the building energy management systems, improved roof and pipework insulation, and the replacement of air handling unit fans with low‑energy systems to cut consumption and enhance comfort.

On completion, the investment is expected to save the Trust an estimated £1 million a year in energy costs and will support its Estates Decarbonisation Strategies, Green Plan and the NHS ambition to reach net zero by 2040.