9 February 2026
Today’s publication of the Local Power Plan (LPP) is a landmark moment for community energy across the UK. With £1 billion of funding, this marks the largest public investment in community energy in British history. It is a decisive step toward placing real power, decision‑making and long‑term economic benefit directly in the hands of communities themselves. This Plan creates an unprecedented opportunity for neighbourhoods and villages to own, shape and benefit from the clean energy transition.
The Plan commits that Great British Energy will directly support at least 1,000 local and community energy projects across the UK by 2030. The projects supported will vary in size, location and technology, and will be developed through collaborative working between GBE and community energy representative bodies. GBE will support the development of investable, community-owned business models alongside the community energy sector.
This target is just the start of our ambitions. Realising the full scale of the Plan will depend on strong collaboration. Great British Energy, Community Energy England, Community Energy Scotland, Community Energy Wales and Community Energy Northern Ireland are committed to working together so that every community that wants to lead and own its clean energy journey has the opportunity, capability and support to do so. Together, we will champion and raise the profile of the community energy sector - ensuring its vital role in the UK’s clean energy future is widely understood and recognised.
Working together, we will combine national investment with local expertise and trusted leadership and community ownership to ensure this programme delivers impact in every part of the UK. We’ll work to overcome the long‑standing barriers that have held back local and community energy to accelerate the development of scalable, community-run models that bring local value. The launch of the Local Power Plan is the first step in codeveloping these solutions with the sector. By working closely with DESNZ, devolved governments and local authorities, we will deliver a fairer and more community‑owned energy system in the UK.
Local and community energy enterprises are already demonstrating what is possible: across the UK, many have taken forward their own energy projects, which have had a wide range of benefits including improved energy resilience, building local skills and capacity, and using surplus on activities such as developing affordable housing, delivering fuel poverty programmes, and supporting local community events and activities that bring people together and build stronger communities. With the Plan’s support, more communities will now be able to take control of their own energy future and share directly in the benefits.
Signatories:
Great British Energy
Community Energy England
Community Energy Northern Ireland
Community Energy Scotland
Community Energy Wales