Local communities excluded from gaining a meaningful stake in the clean energy transition
The UK Government and Great British Energy (GBE) launched the Local Power Plan on Monday, committing up to £1 billion to support community-owned clean energy. The plan aims to empower every community by 2030 to own a local energy project.
As someone who runs an energy transition consultancy and co-authored research on community benefit and the energy transition, I'm deeply invested in this topic. I live in a community on the South Mainland of Shetland, which is actively pursuing a community energy project, aligning perfectly with the plan's goals.
However, I'm concerned about the current model of development, which often faces opposition due to its extractive nature. This resistance isn't about being anti-progress but about the current model's negative impact.
The Local Power Plan, while promising, raises questions. The initial £1 billion commitment was for annual spending, not a one-time allocation. The plan's details, including grant/loan splits and specific targets, are vague and may be delayed until 2026.
The plan's focus on 'community wealth building' is problematic. It misuses the term, which has a specific framework with five pillars. The plan's largest spending commitment is rooftop solar on public buildings, which doesn't align with the concept of community wealth building.
The plan's failure to address the structural inequity in Britain's renewable resource distribution is a significant issue. Communities in Shetland, the Highlands, and rural Wales host much of the infrastructure, serving demand far away. The TIA thresholds and grid connection capacity are inadequate, leading to a decade-long queue for community projects.
To truly empower communities, we need dedicated grid access for community projects, a raised TIA threshold in Scotland, and structured ownership in generation assets. The plan's current form falls short of these goals, and communities feel excluded from meaningful participation.
While the Local Power Plan has potential, it requires significant revisions to address these concerns. The current model of development and the plan's shortcomings risk further alienating communities, hindering the energy transition.
