Biggest investment in community energy in British history to build community wealth and power
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Communities across the country to own and control their own
energy with up to £1bn of new funding for
local energy projects. Biggest public investment
in community energy in history will drive ownership
revolution, putting wealth and power into the hands
of communities. Community energy
projects will cut bills and create revenue for places of
worship, social clubs,...Request free
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More communities across the UK will own be able to own and control their own clean energy projects, building community wealth and power through the government's mission to take back control of the country's energy and make people better off. Great British Energy and government are tomorrow (10 February) publishing the Local Power Plan, backed by funding of up to £1 billion, to help support locally-owned clean energy generation projects such as solar on community buildings like libraries, leisure centres and miners' welfare clubs. The plan delivers the biggest public investment in community energy in this country's history. Ownership is a transformative tool to build the wealth of local areas—giving people a stake in the places they live and generating pride, respect and local prosperity that can't be dismantled. Community ownership is already transforming Britain, through community owned pubs, leisure centres and libraries; in the UK's thousands of cooperative businesses and its proud cooperative movement; and in the pioneering community energy projects from Lawrence Weston in Bristol to the Isle of Skye Cooperative in the Hebrides to Westmill in Oxfordshire to the Geraint Thomas Velodrome in Wales. Community owned energy is the norm in other countries. In Germany, for example, around two-fifths of installed renewable energy generation capacity is citizen-owned. But despite its huge potential, for too long community energy in this country has been held back by a lack of funding, advice and central government support. The Local Power Plan is a transformative strategy to unleash the untapped dynamism, resources and enthusiasm of our communities, backed by up to £1 billion of funding from Great British Energy to support local projects that will cut bills and grow community wealth. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Britain's drive for clean energy is about answering the call for a different kind of economy that works for the many, not just the wealthy and powerful in our society. Local and community energy is at the heart of our government's vision. “With the biggest ever investment in community energy in Britain's history, this government is saying to every local community: we want you to be able to own and control clean energy so the profits flow into your community not simply out to the big energy companies. “By giving local people the chance to take control of their energy, this government is making a fundamental choice to transfer wealth and power back to communities across Britain.” Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities, Miatta Fahnbulleh, said: "Strong communities are the backbone of our society. When they're thriving, we are all better for it. "Our Pride in Place programme backs communities with the tools and funding they need so that community centres can be built for neighbours to meet, football pitches can be maintained for local teams to play, and young people can pick up hobbies and make lifelong friends. "The Local Power Plan takes this further – empowering communities by giving them ownership of their own clean energy and keeping the wealth it generates right where it belongs.” Great British Energy CEO Dan McGrail said: “Communities are at the heart of Great British Energy's mission. Local and community projects create cleaner, more secure and more affordable energy for our communities. “We are investing up to £1 billion into community and local energy projects so that people up and down the country can feel the benefit of public ownership with purpose.” The government is building clean-homegrown power at every scale - from community owned projects to major large-scale infrastructure. Last month delivered a record-breaking offshore wind auction, and tomorrow the results for new solar and onshore wind projects will be confirmed - taking back control of Britain's energy system and putting the British people at the heart of it. Great British Energy aims to support an initial 1,000 clean energy projects, helping to deliver clean power by 2030 while improving energy security for the whole country and protecting billpayers. The projects will be developed and led by communities or local government who best know how to deliver for their area or alternatively allow people to buy shares in nearby larger-scale renewable projects. Research has found that community energy groups play a key role reinvesting revenues locally, and that people involved in community energy activities reported feeling a greater sense of community pride, empowerment, and cohesion. Meanwhile community-owned projects tend to support more jobs than non-locally owned projects and can boost local employment locally. This is part of government's plan to double the co-operative sector to support communities to thrive. It comes alongside the government's £5 billion Pride in Place programme that, following the announcement to expand the programme last week, will see 284 communities across the UK take control of £20 million each over the next decade, to invest in local priorities like creating new green spaces and reinvigorating high streets. Great British Energy is already kicking off this work, so far investing in:
Meanwhile the company, alongside match funding from government, has invested £255 million to enable over 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and multiple military sites in England to increase their renewable energy and reduce their energy bills. The Local Power Plan will help address barriers currently holding back many community energy projects – which range from financial and regulatory to lack of commercial or technical expertise. People can express their interest in funding and advice on building clean energy projects in their town or village through Great British Energy which is becoming a “one stop shop” for local energy. This marks a more joined-up and comprehensive offer to support the delivery of community energy projects across the UK. Great British Energy and government plan to boost community energy ownership through:
Great British Energy will continue working with devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to complement existing support and identify new opportunities for collaboration. GBE is also partnering with authorities in England to support renewable energy across their regions. The first partnerships are with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Devon & Torbay Combined County Authority, East Midlands Combined County Authority, Greater London Authority, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, North East Combined Authority, West Midlands Combined Authority, West of England Combined Authority, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. Emma Bridge, Chief Executive of Community Energy England, said: “Community Energy England welcomes the announcement of £1bn for local and community energy, which will unleash the sector to grow exponentially again. By harnessing the passion, expertise and money of local people, this investment will deliver community benefit, bill savings, local jobs and energy justice. “The Local Power Plan is an important step to putting people and community energy at the heart of the energy transformation. We look forward to working closely with Great British Energy and the government on detailed investment and delivery programmes so that our members can scale this work as soon as possible." Zoe Holliday, Chief Executive of Community Energy Scotland, said: “We welcome the Local Power Plan's vision for every community in the UK to have the opportunity to own an energy project. This vision will only be achieved through partnership working, and the Plan is a public pledge by GBE and UK Government to work together with each other, devolved governments and all other relevant stakeholders to address existing barriers and maximise opportunities. “Community Energy Scotland is committed to working with all of these partners and our members to ensure that communities in Scotland are in the best possible position to take forward new projects and to experience the transformational impact that energy ownership has on communities.” Leanne Wood, Co-executive Director of Community Energy Wales, said: "It's great to see the huge, untapped potential of Community Energy recognised in the Local Power Plan, with material commitments to make sure local people and places can lead a fair transition to a low carbon energy system across the UK.” Ben Ferguson, Co-executive Director of Community Energy Wales, said: "Our members in Wales are ready to grow their ambition with this support from Great British Energy, welcoming and supporting new and emerging community energy enterprises to participate in the transformative benefits of community ownership of distributed and democratising energy technology.” Anne Ford, Spokesperson for Community Energy Northern Ireland, said: “Community Energy Northern Ireland welcomes the launch of the Great British Energy Local Power Plan. “This provides a real opportunity to build awareness of the role that groups of citizens in this region can play in shaping our energy future and bringing more community energy enterprises to fruition. “We look forward to working with Great British Energy, to grow engagement, share knowledge and build resilience in this critical sector.” Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: "Community energy has been at the heart of my approach to delivering cleaner, greener energy for Londoners and helping to cut bills. GB Energy's commitment to supporting community and local energy generation through the Local Power Plan is welcome. “From places of worship and social clubs to community centres we've seen how community owned and led projects help keep energy affordable and ensure the benefits are shared fairly across our city. This new support will help our city's vibrant community energy sector continue to grow, and Londoners are ready to step up, and play a powerful role in building a cleaner, fairer and more resilient energy system for everyone.” Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Investing in clean, green energy means slashing people's bills, powering up our communities and businesses, and boosting the number of jobs in our booming green sector. “This new partnership builds on the strong relationship we've built with GB Energy, which is backing renewable energy projects across our region and helping us deliver real change for West Yorkshire. “From improving the energy efficiency of over 5,000 social homes, to helping over 2,000 businesses green their processes and save on bills, we're working with government to tackle the cost of living and the climate crisis head-on.” Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said: “The transition away from polluting fossil fuels will lower energy costs and create good local jobs: the things that matter to our residents and businesses. “By working together with Great British Energy, we're turning our growth ambitions into real projects that deliver for people and places across the East Midlands.” “Today, we have many active community energy groups working to develop clean energy projects, and we are well positioned to capitalise on the opportunities that clean and renewable energy projects can offer.” Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: "I welcome this partnership with Great British Energy, which strengthens our ambition set out in the Local Growth Plan to make Cambridgeshire and Peterborough the UK's fastest‑growing local economy. “We look forward to working with GBE to identify projects so that communities can benefit from this funding and enable investment in the priorities that matter most. I'm excited about the growth and opportunity this will unlock for our region.” David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said: “Communities should be truly at the heart of local energy projects, making sure everyone benefits from cleaner, greener energy. York and North Yorkshire has the knowledge, resources and ambition to change how we produce energy and heat our homes. "Working side by side with Great British Energy, we can get more community energy projects off the ground, strengthening our push to be England's first carbon negative region by 2040. This is the largest public investment in community energy in our history. It's time to harness our region's strengths to lower bills and clean up our air.” Phil Witcherley, Director of Economic Growth & Innovation at the North East Combined Authority, said: “This partnership with Great British Energy is a welcome recognition of the North East's role as the home of the UK's green energy revolution. We've already made great strides by installing solar panels on schools so they can cut energy bills meaning they have more to spend in other ways, like on breakfast and after school clubs. "This is about making sure our communities are benefitting from our green ambitions as we seek to accelerate our local energy generation, grow our offshore wind sector, and double the North East's entire green energy workforce to 50,000 jobs by 2035." Steven Agnew, Head of Policy at RenewableUK, said: “Developers are already collaborating successfully with communities on projects such as the Lawrence Weston wind turbine in Bristol. The involvement of Great British Energy will help more communities take advantage of these opportunities. "Supporting local communities to generate their own clean power will allow them to benefit directly from renewables whilst enabling them to play a key role in strengthening our energy security. As these new projects come online, they will push more expensive gas generation off the system, cutting electricity bills for everyone.” Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “Scotland has a proud legacy of community energy, especially across our rural and island communities. These projects deliver meaningful local benefits while providing an important contribution to our national energy security. “Our industry looks forward to working with GB Energy to empower more communities with the opportunity of renewable energy." Jess Hooper, Director of RenewableUK Cymru said: “Wales is already leading the way on locally owned renewable energy, with the Welsh Government committed to delivering 1.5GW of locally owned renewable capacity by 2030. “By supporting communities to generate and own their own clean power, we can strengthen Wales' energy security, reduce reliance on expensive imported gas, and ensure that the energy transition delivers lasting benefits for people and communities across Wales.” Mark Richardson, Director of RenewableNI, said: “We welcome the commitment to investment in Northern Ireland through the Local Power Plan. Support for community-led renewable projects can help build on what is already working here, giving communities the confidence and capacity to play a greater role in delivering clean, secure energy for the region. “Community-owned and community-backed projects strengthen energy security and deliver skilled jobs across rural and urban areas alike. By anchoring investment locally, they help retain value in the regional economy while supporting apprenticeships, maintenance roles and long-term operational employment.” Dhara Vyas, Chief Executive of Energy UK, said: “This clear commitment to giving communities the advice, capacity and support they need to develop more local power projects is an important step forward. Strong local partnerships between businesses, the public sector and communities are crucial to deliver our shared ambitions of lower bills and cleaner energy, while giving communities a more meaningful role in shaping the future of their area. “Energy companies across the UK already work closely with customers and communities to deliver low-carbon solutions, and this backing from Great British Energy and the UK Government will help crowd in private capital, giving investors and communities the confidence to go further and faster while supporting jobs, lowering whole-system costs, and growing the UK's clean energy industries.” Chris Hewett, CEO of Solar Energy UK, said: “Investing £1bn to put solar, battery storage and other renewables into the heart of our communities is another welcome move from the Government. “It will help slash public sector energy bills, while keeping vital assets such as village halls above water. Our members stand ready to advise community energy companies and deliver their projects." Mike Thornton, Chief Executive of Energy Saving Trust said: “Today's publication of the Local Power Plan puts community energy at the centre of Great British Energy's work to deliver clean power. The ambition for every community to have an opportunity to own or be involved in a local energy project by 2030 will give people genuine agency in the energy transition, directly driving benefits back to local areas whilst supporting climate action. “We look forward to working with the UK Government and Great British Energy to help develop the comprehensive support and financial backing communities will need to ensure they can benefit from the clean energy transition.” Merlin Hyman OBE, Chief Executive, Regen, said: “Across Britain there are inspiring examples of communities generating their own clean energy and keeping the revenues locally to reinvest in the places they care about. The Local Power Plan sets out a vital agenda to enable many more communities to participate in this way. “We welcome the ambition and commitment to investing in putting people at the heart of the energy transition and look forward to working with Great British Energy to deliver this groundbreaking vision.” Afsheen Kabir Rashid, Chief Executive of Repowering London, said: "Finally, we are being heard after years of being side-lined. This is a welcome investment and recognition that communities have the power to unlock the UK's pathway to a clean energy future putting money directly into people's pockets through reduced bills, quality jobs and meaningful local investment. “We look forward to working with Government to develop and grow the Repowered Community model and ensure the transition to clean energy is fair, inclusive and truly community led." John Millen, a Director of High Winds Community Energy Society who lives within view of their wind turbines, said: "High Winds Community Energy Society shows what's possible when a community owns its own renewable energy. We manage five community owned wind turbines just outside Ulverston in Cumbria. This is the largest 100% community-owned wind project in England. “The income the turbines generate funds local energy-saving and fuel poverty initiatives and helps sustain other vital local organisations. It isn't a token gesture, it's long-term support built into our society's objectives." Henrik Micski, a Director of Isle of Skye Renewables Co-op, said: "Community energy projects such as the Isle of Skye Renewables Co-op demonstrate that community ownership in local energy projects can support a cost-effective energy transition, whilst ensuring that local energy projects deliver real benefits to those who live locally to energy infrastructure. “Since 2008 the IoSRC has distributed more than £1.5m to coop members and local community energy, energy efficiency and sustainability projects, creating a virtuous circle of investment in the energy transition." Zach Wishart, a Director of North Lincolnshire Community Energy, said: "Since launching just three years ago, North Lincolnshire Community Energy has installed solar PV panels on 23 buildings across Scunthorpe and the surrounding area, the majority schools. “Working with North Lincolnshire Council, we leveraged an initial grant and made the money go much further by raising over £1,350,000 from community shares. In the last three years we've saved our host sites more than £300,000 on their energy bills and expect this to keep increasing for years to come. “We are also actively part of a positive movement for education on sustainability, running workshops at our host sites and a wider outreach programme." Mark Pepper, Development Manager of Ambition Lawrence Weston, said: "This is fantastic and exciting news. Now many more communities can benefit just like we have, by owning our own energy producing asset. But this is more than just providing us with our own sustainable income, it also gives us a stake in the energy marking instead of being passive consumers. It gives us pride of our place and helps us to do our bit to improve the climate. It's a win, win, win. If we can do it, so can other communities." Phil Williams, Operations Director of Cambrian Village Trust, said: “Cambrian Village Trust's journey from black to green honours our mining heritage while shaping a sustainable future. Our former coal tips are now a vibrant Country Park, home to walks, wildlife, and a community café powered by our own micro‑hydro system. “By generating renewable energy on our doorstep, we're creating community wealth that people see and feel every day - from solar panels running our buildings and EVs to surplus power supporting wider networks. “Working with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council on a second hydro scheme, our vision is to create Wales's first fully self‑sustaining football ground, proving that community energy can transform even the most deprived areas for the benefit of all.” 53 early stage community energy projects backed by Great British Energy. These projects were funded via the GBE Community Fund (which is England only and delivered by the Local Net Zero Hubs):
Completed renewable projects through Mayoral Renewable Fund
Additional sites receiving funding through Mayoral Renewable Fund second funding round
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