For too long, our energy has been produced and owned abroad – enriching oligarchs and multinational oil and gas companies. Meanwhile our bills have soared to record highs. There has never been a more important moment to invest in cheap, clean renewable energy produced and owned right here in the UK to give all of us a greater stake and say in our energy system and to help reduce our bills.
Community energy, where local communities own and profit from renewable energy projects in their local area, should be at the heart of this ambition and is already helping to power nearly 200,000 homes across the country with clean, green energy.
At the Co-operative Party, we believe community energy must be central to the transformative agenda for renewable energy. We cannot simply recreate the status quo which has left people with sky high bills and energy insecurity. Community energy provides the opportunity to empower people as renewable energy owners – with the ability to generate, store and control their own clean energy. That’s why we are delighted to see community energy form a key part of Labour’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.
The future Labour & Co-operative Government will launch a new Local Power Plan that puts community energy at its heart. A new publicly-owned energy company, GB Energy, will be a key facilitator in growing the community energy sector – working with local communities and local authorities to build clean energy in villages, towns and cities. New community energy initiatives will include onshore wind, solar and hydro projects – which provide communities with the opportunity to own new renewable energy sources in their direct locality. The Local Power Plan will make available up to £600m in funding for local authorities and up to £400m low-interest loans each year for communities.
As long-term campaigners for community energy, the Co-operative Party are delighted to see a commitment to providing record funding for community energy growth. Labour’s Local Power Plan will be by far the largest public investment into community energy in history – far surpassing the previous Rural Community Energy Fund which ended in spring 2022 and outstripping the Government’s recent announcement of a new Community Energy Fund due to open in early Autumn and committing £10m over two years in support of the community energy sector.
Join us on Zoom to hear more. Speakers include Michaela Cryar – Director of Younity; Afsheen Kabir Rashid MBE – Founder and CEO Repowering; Alistair Macpherson – Chief Executive Plymouth Community Energy and Cllr Eva Murray – Co-op Party.