CEP welcomes the scale and ambition of the Local Power Plan (LPP) which will commit £1bn in investment by 2030 for developing the community energy sector in the UK. The LPP aims to deliver 8GW of locally owned clean power by 2030 through thousands of community-owned and local council-led projects. This is a significant moment for the UK community energy movement, which is finally receiving the recognition and investment it requires to accelerate democratic ownership and local just transition at scale.
The plan, which was developed jointly by GB Energy and DESNZ addresses regulatory, policy, financial and capacity blockers to the community energy sector. As outlined in the GB Energy Strategic Plan in December 2025, it acknowledges the three main challenges to the community energy sector: lack of community capability, lack of route to market, and lack of access to finance.
We are pleased to see that the plan addresses these challenges head on by providing direct funding for projects, as well as loans to cover running costs and operation. The focus on capacity building and advice provision for community groups at different stages of development is also very promising.
CEP is already supporting GB Energy in developing capacity building toolkits and templates, including shared ownership legal templates which will be available from Spring 2026. The LPP places great emphasis on shared ownership, as the government develops a proposal on how a mandatory shared ownership offer could work. As an organisation with seven shared ownership projects in the pipeline, we are pleased to see shared ownership recognised as a powerful stepping stone for communities who want to generate revenue and build capacity for fully community-owned projects.
GB Energy is seeking engagement from members of the public, community energy groups, local authorities, and public sector organisations. Community energy groups are encouraged to submit an expression of interest and provide information about their project ideas and the support that GB Energy could provide them: Express your interest | Great British Energy
Collaboration will be key to making the most of this unprecedented public investment in communities. CEP is committed to supporting the government in making the LPP a success.
Notes
- CTA – EOI
- SUPPORT TYPE 1: Direct Funding and Finance – Capital Toolkit Spring 2026
- SUPPORT TYPE 2: Capacity Building
- SUPPORT TYPE 3: Community energy revenue models, local energy platform
- SUPPORT TYPE 4: Policy and regulatory changes